Raven
by ObviouslyADeathNoteFan
Summary: She never asked to be L's successor. While she admired him, she didn't want to be him. 'I have my own things to take care of. I'm sorry, L. I can't be your successor. I never wanted to be, and never will. B's run away. A's dead. I guess I'm running away too.' (Bad summary, I know. First fanfic.) Rated T mostly for character death and language. Mild LxOC. Complete! Sequel up!
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Authors Note:**

**Hello fellow geeks! It is I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! This is Raven, my first posted fanfic!**

**NOTE: Yes, yes, I realize that the manga says that it is impossible to know if someone has the Shinigami eyes, but whatever. This is my fanfic. Also, I didn't know what L was called at Wammy's so I just used Lost One, which was used in the novels. Anyway, future chapters are longer! And better! Thanks for reading!  
**

******SECOND NOTE: I'm messing around with the chapter names and numbers (putting a prologue then chapter one was an enormous mistake, sorry) so... Yeah. I'm trying to fix it, I've confused myself to no end here. Sorry! (IT'S FIXED NOW! YAY! Thanks for reading, fellow geeks!)  
**

**Me: Can I get someone to do the disclaimer?**

**Misa: Me! Misa will do it!**

**Me: NO! SOMEONE ELSE!**

**Misa: (Pouts)**

**Me: AIZAWA! DISCLAIMER!**

**Aizawa:(Groans) Fine. ObviouslyADeathNoteFan does not own Death Note in any way, shape or form. Only her OC, Raven.**

* * *

Nightmares had always been a problem for her. Even before her parents were killed. After that, they had only gotten worse. _'I didn't ask for nightmares. Damn it...' _she thought bitterly. She sighed, running a hand through her auburn hair and swung her legs over the side of the bed. _'Managed to get about six hours. Better than no sleep at all, I guess.' _

On her way to the kitchen for either coffee or tea, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. Auburn hair, sleep deprived, bright blue eyes and a small horizontal scar under her right eye. She sighed, leaving her bedroom and entering the kitchen. After mulling it over for a few seconds, she decided on tea.

The kettle was sitting on the warming burner as she looked out of the window, gazing out at the fog-covered city. The sky had turned a slightly lighter shade of a dark blueish black. _'Another day... Another case. As usual,' _she thought, sighing. She supposed she was just destined to become a detective. She had sworn that her parents killer would be brought to justice by her hand, and he had. But before that, she had been moved to an orphanage. Wammy's House. She had made a couple of good friends there, but most of the children either completely ignored her or hated her guts. She, as well as two other boys, was a successor to the world known detective L.

She had never liked the idea. She was herself, and no one else. Glancing back at the fridge, she caught sight of a photo of her, as well as three other kids back at the orphanage. _'Oh, Alternate... Backup...'_ Alternate, her best friend at the orphanage, couldn't handle the pressure of being L's successor, and committed suicide. Backup, the second successor, her only other friend, hadn't been the same afterward. He became easily angered, more intimidating than usual. He got into more fights than he usually did.

But, of course, before this, Alternate, Backup, and Raven had stuck together. The other children mostly just ignored them. That was fine with them. They had never particularly cared for much attention, and being left alone to their own devices suited them just fine. Backup had a knack for finding out someones name. How he did it, no one knew, but he creeped people out sometimes by telling them their name. And, being successors to L, this was a bit of a problem. He never told anyone other than Raven how. She believed him when he told her, partly based on the idea that he would have come up with a slightly more believable lie if he was simply wanting attention.

Then there was Lost One. He left but a month after Raven arrived. But what was odd to her was that Backup dressed and looked almost exactly like Lost One. At first, she thought that they were related. But later she found out that this wasn't the case, but she never was told that Lost was actually the one she was supposed to be a successor for. During the brief period that he was there, Raven had been extremely curious about him, Backup, and Alternate.

The kettle sang, plunging her from her thoughts. Making a quick cup of tea, she opened a window and sat at the table. The sky had lightened to a soft grey color, mixing almost seamlessly with the fog. A picture of her and her parents on the fridge caught her attention. _'I wonder what you would have thought of who I have become...'_ She sighed again, turning her attention back to the gently lightening sky outside.

The cool morning air wafted in through the open window. Birds chirped in the nearby park and crickets quieted. _'I wonder what will happen today. Maybe I'll go out.. Get food, maybe work somewhere other than this depressing little apartment. Who knows, maybe I'll make a new friend. Ah, who am I kidding. I'll probably just sit somewhere working on a case. However... This feeling... That something will happen...' _She shook her head, sipping her tea. _'Probably nothing.' _


	2. Chapter 2: Backup

**AN:**

**Hello again! It is I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! It was around four in the morning when I finished and posted the last chapter. So... sorry if it sucked. As I said before, I have little experience in writing. Anyhow, on with the story! :)  
**

**Meanings of fonts: Bold; Memories/ time skips. ****_Bold Italic; Dreams. _**_Plain Italic; Thoughts._

**NOTE: I am going by the manga timeline, but many scenes from the anime will be here. Not in this chapter, obviously. Just thought I'd mention.**

**Me: Disclaimer? Anyone? How about... Rem?**

**Rem: Alright. ObviouslyADeathNoteFan does not own Death Note in any way.**

* * *

She trudged through the rain, muttering about the weather. _'The one day I actually decide to go out, and it rains.' _She sighed. She had actually gone out and worked in a small cafe instead of her old, dark, small apartment. She tried to keep her laptop bag from getting wet. It was already in a bag so she didn't worry too much about it, thought she still didn't want to risk losing all of her work due to the unexpected rain.

She stopped dead in her tracks. _'Is... Is that..? No, it can't be. I'm insane. There's no way he'd just turn up out of the blue. Though... with him...' _A familiar looking head of wild, black hair caught her attention. _'If he'd just turn around, I'd see his face. But... it's not likely that he'd just-' _he turned around. Her mouth nearly dropped open. _'It is him! After so long... Backup...' _She knew those red eyes anywhere. He finally noticed her.

"B-Backup?" She stuttered out. His eyes widened.

"Raven?" They stood in silence for a moment, simply staring at each other. His eyes flickered to the space above her head, making sure that it truly was her. Of course, he had noticed the familiar name earlier, but had thought he was simply seeing things and ignored it. _'I... After so long... He just turns up? In London? I thought he was in the U.S.' _Rain poured from the grey sky, drenching their hair and clothes. Backup seemed to notice this and put a hand up to try to shield his face. "Who knew I'd see you again..." he smiled. "if you have time, maybe we could meet up? Just talk, like old times." She snapped out of her shocked trance and nodded.

"Yeah. Are you doing anything in the next few days?"

"Nothing in particular. However, I am leaving for America next week." She nodded, realizing that her bag was getting wetter every minute.

"I... I guess I'll see you later, then. I've gotta get my laptop outta the rain before it stops working," she laughed. "but I'll see you soon."

"Alright. Goodbye, Raven. I will see you soon."

He turned and walked away. Raven blinked, processing everything. After a few moments, she continued walking back to her apartment.

* * *

_**Rain fell in sheets from the clouds far above her head. She squinted, trying to see through the downpour. A man stood, dressed in baggy jeans and a white long sleeved shirt. His hair was wild, though the weight of the water dragged it down. His back was toward her.**_

_"**Backup?" Her voice was tiny and weak in the howling wind. He turned to her. "Lost One? What are you doing here?" He said nothing. His eyes turned from a dark grey to an eerie red. He grinned reaching for a gun attached to his pants that she hadn't noticed before. He aimed straight at her. Her eyes widened and she tried to say something.** 'He isn't going to...'** She heard a click, and knew that the gun was loaded and ready to fire. Her eyes widened further. **'Why can't I move?!'_

_"**Not your time yet, Raven." His maniacal grin widened.**_

_**BANG!**_

_**She looked down. Blood was quickly staining her white shirt. She weakly looked back at him, falling to her knees.**_

_"****__B-Backup?" She collapsed. Everything went black._

* * *

Her eyes shot open. She sat up and gripped the sheets tightly, breathing heavily. _'Calm down... It was only a dream...'_ She tensed as she heard a crash form outside. She got up quickly and looked out the window nearest to the sound. In the dark, she barely made out the faint outline of a fallen garbage can and a couple of dogs picking at the contents, now spilled out onto the street. She sighed, relaxing a little. _'Just a few dogs...' _She fell back onto the bed covering her eyes with the back of her hand.

_'Damn... Why did that dream scare me so much? It was only that. A dream.' _An odd feeling made her anxiety grow. She shook her head, still covering it with her pale arm. _'No. It was only a dream.'_ She tried to reassure herself, but she felt that maybe it was more. After all, it wouldn't be the first time something from her dream actually happened. Like the night her parents were killed, for instance. That night, before everything took place, she had dreamed of a shadow-covered figure in her house. _'There's no way Backup would ever hurt me. Just stop thinking about it and try to sleep.' _She tried to take her own advice, but after an hour of just lying there, she finally got up.

* * *

"Backup? Where did you get my number?"

"Hello, Raven. Phone book." _'I used an alias...'_

"I see. Anyway, whats up?"

"I simply wanted to ask if we could meet? Tomorrow, at the bus stop at which you found me?"

"Uh, sure. What time?"

"I suppose six, if you aren't doing anything."

"Alright, see you then."

Backup hung up. _'That was strange,' _she thought, glancing at the clock. 7:39 P.M. _'Did he simply recognize my alias? Possibly. I'm probably just over-thinking it...' _

* * *

"Backup!" She calls as she spotted him. He turned, smiling.

"Raven. It's nice to see you again." Raven scoffed.

" 'Nice to you again? ' You left, completely out of the blue. You had me worried sick, Backup. Especially after A..." His expression darkens slightly.

"I'm sorry, Raven. It was not my intention to worry you." She sighed.

"You could have contacted me somehow. After all, you found my phone number."

"I had no idea you were in London. I would have, if I knew. Now, why don't we go sit down somewhere?" Raven nodded. He started shuffling away, Raven following him.

"Do you have somewhere in mind?"

"Not really. There's a park near here, if you just want to walk."

"That's fine. So Backup, what have you been doing for the last, what, four years?"

"Oh, this and that," he answered vaguely, "how about you?"

"I became a detective."

"So you actually became L's successor?"

"No."

"I see. You became a detective to-"

"Find the man who killed my parents, yes."

"So, you became a detective, not to be L's successor, but to avenge your parents?"

"Well, yes and no. After finding the man who killed my parents, I realized I had nothing left to accomplish. The thing I had basically spent the last three years of my life working on had been done. After that, I didn't really have anything. I guess I could have gone back to Wammy's, but I didn't want to be L's successor. I just... Not after A. I left almost immediately after you did. I didn't think I'd be able to handle it, for one thing. That's part of why I left. I wasn't going to let them turn me into someone I'm not. I'm not L. I never will be," She finished speaking and glanced over at Backup. He seemed to be listening to her every word. He nodded. The sun was beginning to set and the sky turned a light orange.

"How long did you stay after I left?" Raven blinked.

"I left the next night. Though I did leave a note."

"What did it say?"

* * *

**Raven picked up her bag, glancing back at her room. She felt bad about simply leaving, but she felt it was for the best. She bit her lip. **_'A note. I can leave a note.'_ **She ran over to the drawer where she kept paper and a few pencils. She quickly wrote down a note and left through the first story window, seemingly vanishing in the dark.**

**"I have my own things to take care of. I'm sorry, L. I can't be your successor. B's run away. A's dead. I'm leaving as well. I'm sorry. Mr. Wammy, you've been awesome. Roger, try to be a little less of a jerk sometimes. L, being your successor doesn't mean any of us are invincible. Please try to keep that in mind when you, and I have no doubt that you will, find new successors. Maybe one day, L, we'll meet. I'm sorry to all of you. Goodbye.**

**-Raven"**

* * *

"...I don't remember."

"I see."


	3. Chapter 3: Warnings

**AN**

**I got my first review! Thank you Doodle0505 for the review and follow! As well as those who have followed my story!**

**Sorry if this chapter is rushed. If you notice any spelling or grammar mistakes in the AN or story, just point it out and I'll fix it. Sorry for Beyond or L OOCness.  
**

**Font Meanings: Bold; AN, Memories, Time skips. ****_Bold Italic; Dreams. _**_Plain Italic; Thoughts. _

**Me: Yo! Disclaimer! Anyone? **

…

**Me: (grumbles) Fine. Misa, get over here. **

**Misa: YAYAYAYY! I knew you'd-**

**Me: Disclaimer.**

**Misa: (glares at me) Fine! ObviouslyADeathNoteFan doesn't own Death Note!**

* * *

**_She stumbled blindly through the darkness, looking for something. Anything. _**_'What am I looking for? Why am I here? Where am I? How did I get here?'_**_ These questions were floating around her head, looking for answers they didn't think they'd light suddenly made her squeeze her eyes shut._**_ 'What?'_**_ She looked around after her eyes had adjusted somewhat. A figure stood a long way off. _**_'Backup? Lost One? Why is he here?'_**_ She tried to call out, but she couldn't. She walked quickly over to the figure. _**

**_"Raven?" She couldn't tell which he was from the sound of his voice._**

**_"Lost One?" He turned. She almost breathed a sigh of relief at his black eyes. _**_'The last dream I had, Backup killed me. I know that this is a dream... But I can't do anything about it.'_

**"_Raven. Stay away from Beyond. Don't let him fool you."_**

**"_Fool me? Backup? What do you-"_**

* * *

Her eyes opened. She rubbed at them with the back of her hand, sitting up.

"What was that?" It came out as more of a sleepy mumble than actual words. _'Stay away from Beyond. That's what Lost One said. Why?' _She shook her head. Light streamed in through the window, illuminating the room in a warm glow. _'That was probably the best dream I've had all week. And it was Lost One warning me of Backup?'_

* * *

"Bye, Backup. Come visit again soon." He smiled.

"Don't worry, I will."

"Have fun, you idiot." She smiles, hugging Backup. He hugs her back, before picking up his bag.

"Goodbye for now, Raven."

"Goodbye."

She watched as the plane took off. _'I'm gonna miss him. I only just found him again. Now he's leaving. Again.' _With a slightly heavy heart, she went back to her apartment.

* * *

She sighed. The case she had taken interest in was frustrating and confusing her.

"The LA Wara Ningyo Murders... The Serial Locked Room Murders..." She read aloud, " Three victims so far. Each has a Wara Ningyo Doll nailed to a wall in the room." _'Four dolls in the first victims room. Three in the second. Two in the third. Is this hinting that there will be one more victim? The victims names... Believe Bridesmaid, Quarter Queen, and Backyard Bottomslash. BB, QQ, BB. A pattern?' _She sipped the tea she had made a few minutes ago, now a little less hot.

She chewed on her thumbnail absentmindedly as she thought. _'And the order of the killings. The number of days between each killing. The first victim was killed on the thirty-first of July. The next on the fourth of August. The next on the thirteenth of August. Four days, then nine days. Four plus nine equals thirteen. If you think about it, thirteen looks a little like a B. I wonder, was this intentional? It seems a little out there, but everything but QQ, seems to be a B. The positions of the bodies... Believe was found facing up, Quarter down, Backyard up. An upside down q looks a bit like a b. Again, it seems a little out there, but it seems to planned to be a coincidence._

_'B...B... Everything about this case leads to a B. From the position of the bodies to the days of the killings. What is so special about B?' _She makes a face as she sips her now cold tea. _'The murders started just two days after Backup left for LA. The murders took place in LA. BB. QQ. BB. BB... Beyond... Beyond Birthday. Backup... Could Backup have any sort of-' _She shook her head. _'No. It couldn't be Backup...' _

Her mind was drawing up his odd behavior. _'He hasn't been acting the same since A's death... Has he snapped? He randomly showed up, before leaving for LA, where murders suddenly take place just two days after he arrives. Is it possible? Has he truly snapped? I had noticed his behavior changed after A died, but...' _Her eyes widen. _'L... He has always blamed L for A's death... Is he trying to get L on the case? Or is he trying to create a case that he thinks L can't solve? Does Backup have any kind of connection to this case? BB... Backup... Beyond... Rue... Rue Ryuzaki. Beyond's other alias. L and R... Backup... Is he trying to say that he equals L? Or that he is better than him? The initials of his alias... RR. LL. BB. _

"Is it possible?" She murmured, her eyes wide and face pale. "It can't be... Backup..." _'His name... Beyond Birthday. His hatred for L. He can't be...' _Her heart dropped as she realized that she couldn't ignore the possibility of Backup's involvement in the case. _' I don't __want__ to suspect him of anything... But I can't rule out the possibility. Wait, what's happening?' _Her laptop flashed to life without her touching it. The screen went white as she put down the tea. A black calligraphic L formed in the center of the screen and she froze. _'Why would he contact me? Also, he's fucking hacking my laptop!'_ A disguised voice spoke to her through the speakers.

"Hello, Raven. I'm sure by now that you have noticed the Wara Ningyo murder case." She didn't have a microphone or any way of communicating back to him, until she noticed a chat window on the bottom of the screen. She hesitantly typed into it.

-Yes. Why are you contacting me?-

"Have you begun to suspect that B may have some sort of involvement in the case, yet? To be completely honest, it would surprise me if you haven't." She hesitated. She held no grudge against him, but didn't want to throw suspicion on Backup. This was L, though. He would know if she was lying, seeing her face through the camera on her laptop. She sighed.

-Yes. I have.-

"Well, you are correct. The killer is B." Her heart dropped further.

-I see.-

"I understand that you do not want to suspect him."

-No. I don't. He was the one who found me and brought me to Wammy's. Of course I don't.-

"Don't let him fool you. He is the killer." Her eyes widened. "_**Raven. Stay away from Beyond. Don't let him fool you.**_" That was what Lost One had said to her in the dream. "Is something wrong? You look distressed." She nodded, looking a little shaken.

-Yes. I apologize. Why did you tell me this?-

"I wanted to inform you that I am investigating. " She scoffed a little rudely.

-I don't want to suspect him, but I see I have no choice.-

"I will send you all information that has not been made public."

-L, answer me this. Do you think that I do not trust you?-

Silence.

"...Yes."

-You are wrong. I trust you. That isn't something I say often.-

"...I see. Goodbye, for now, Raven." The screen went back to its normal state, with the exception of a new file on her desktop. She sighed and opened it. All information that had been gathered so far was on the file. She looked through it, her suspicion that Backup was somehow involved, even the killer, rising. _'Backup...'_ She sighed again, rubbing her head, trying to ward off a headache.

_'I suppose it wouldn't be the first time my dreams have told me something.' _She looked at the date. August the fourteenth. _'Already?' _She stood up, stretching out her stiff limbs. _'L said that he was working on the case. Obviously not in person. He's probably getting someone out to the crime scenes in his place. I hope they're careful, whoever they are.'_


	4. Chapter 4: Memories

**AN**

**I just finished writing the chapter and it is now nearly 2 AM. Forgive me if it sucks. xD**

**WARNING: Mentions of suicide and attempted suicide.**

**NOTE: The dream sequence is how Raven and Beyond met. Not a nightmare. Just wanted to mention.**

**Font Meanings: Plain Bold; Memories, AN. ****_Bold Italic; Dreams. _**_Plain Italic; Thoughts._

**Me: Disclaimer? Uhhh... Matsu?**

**Matsuda: Alright! ObviouslyADeathNoteFan does not own Death Note! **

* * *

_**Raven sat, huddled in the rain pouring from the dark grey clouds above, mimicking her emotions. She had just lost her parents. She had nowhere to go. She was starving. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the side of the dumpster, shivering slightly in the cold.**_

"_**Hello?" A voice made her eyes snap open and she tensed. A shadow-covered figure stood a few feet away, his hidden eyes watching her curiously. He stepped out into her view. He was about her age, with wild black hair and red eyes. He looked concerned. She ignored him, looking down at the ground. "Are you alright?" She looked back up to glare at him.**_

"_**Does it really look like I'm alright?"**_

"_**Where are your parents?" Her eyes filled with tears.**_

"_**Dead." His own eyes widened.**_

"_**I-I'm sorry, I didn't know. Do you have somewhere to go? You look hungry."**_

"_**If I did have somewhere to be, would I be sitting out here in the cold and rain? Or if I wasn't hungry, would I look like I was?"** __'This kid isn't very bright,'__ **she thought bitterly.**_

"_**Uh, no, I guess. I- My parents are dead too... I'm living in an orphanage nearby. Why don't you come with me?"**_

"_**Really?"**_

"_**Yeah." She smiled, something she hadn't done since her parents deaths.**_

"_**Okay. Call me Raven, by the way," she mumbled, still cautious to give out her real name to someone that she didn't know.  
**_

"_**Backup," he said with a smile.  
**_

* * *

As soon as she opened her eyes, they filled with unwanted tears. _'Damn it... Why now? Why that memory now?' _She wiped her eyes and closed them once more. _'I don't want to believe that Beyond has ever hurt anyone... He was so much different before A died...'_

* * *

"**Backup, get down! You'll hurt yourself!" She had been at Wammy's for just over two weeks, and had already made two friends.**

"**Nah! I'll be fine!" He called back.**

"**She's right, Backup! You should get down!" Alternate walked up to the tree that Backup was currently hanging from, his brown eyes showing amusement.**

"**Just... A few... More...Inches!" He grinned in triumph, having reached the apple he had been trying to get for the past five minutes. He held it up victoriously, and lost his grip on the branch. He fell over ten feet to the ground. Luckily, he was unhurt.**

"**Backup! You idiot!" Raven shouted, running over. He groaned, but sat up. The apple had burst open after hitting the ground, and Beyond had unfortunately landed on the bits of it. Raven burst out laughing at the look on his face when he realized this. Backup scowled.**

"**Shut up! Stupid apple..." This only made Raven laugh more. Alternate joined in. After checking the arm he had landed on, which wasn't hurt, Beyond started laughing as well. Raven turned and jumped when she realized that someone was standing near the orphanage wall, staring at them.**

"**Hey Lost!" She called out. He gave a small wave. She skipped over to him, leaning against the brick wall.**

"**Is there something you need?"**

"**No, just wanted to say hi," She said cheerily, grinning. He stared at her for a moment before nodding.**

"**Hello."**

"**Oi! Raven! We're going inside!" She looked over at Alternate and Backup, who had called her.**

"**I'm gonna go, but I'll see you later!" She ran to the others. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Lost One smile a little before turning and going back inside.**

* * *

She smiled at the memory. _'That was so long ago, back before any of this happened.' _She ran her fingers through her hair, sitting up. _'It's been six days since L contacted me. Beyond must be planning on doing his last killing on the twenty-second. It's the only date that would make sense. two days... I hope L was right about catching Beyond before his next murder.' _She got out of bed, heading for the kitchen. She made a quick cup of instant coffee before opening her laptop.

* * *

Having received no word from L, Raven was getting nervous. She was constantly sipping some sort of hot caffeinated beverage and keeping her laptop open. Finally, it buzzed to life without her touching it. The familiar old English L settled on the white background. She hurriedly ran over to it, settling on the bed.

"B has been caught." She was visibly relieved.

-What about the victim? Are they alright?-

"The final victim was going to be himself." Raven's eyes widened. She typed quickly.

-Is he alright?-

"Yes. He had poured gasoline onto himself and managed to light it before the FBI agent I had sent to investigate found him. He is unconscious and will be for some time, however, he is stable." She took in the information silently.

-I see. Thank you for telling me.-

"I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you." She scoffed.

-Understatement of the month. I'll be alright.-

"I see."

-You never explained one thing. Why did you tell me that this was B?-

"Being my successors, or former successors, as well as you being friends, I felt that you should know."

-You sound a little accusing when mentioning us being successors. I have apologized for leaving. Have I not? I explained in the note, did I not? Backup and I were friends, were we not? I never asked to be your successor, L.- She typed, knowing that her face would be caught by the camera on her laptop. She had lifted it to reveal her pissed-off expression.

"I'm sorry. I realize these things."

-It's alright. Please, forgive my poor attitude. This has come as a bit of a shock.-

"There is no need to apologize. Goodbye for now, Raven." The screen once more returned to its normal state. _'Beyond...' _She shoved her laptop away and buried her face in her hands. _'Beyond... Damn it... Why did you have to go insane? I knew you were slightly off, but... You always had been... You were the only person I had left...' _She cried for the first time since Alternate died.

* * *

"**Alternate? Hey! Where are you?" Raven called out. She hadn't seen him all day and he had been acting a little oddly for the last few weeks. She walked down the hall to his room. "Yo! Alternate! Beyond went out to get some jam, but he'll be back soon," She knocked on his door. "Alternate?" No answer. A sudden feeling of dread picked at her. She ignored it and opened the door. Her screams echoed through the walls of the orphanage. Alternate had hung himself.**

"**Raven!? What's wrong?" Backup walked up quickly, speeding up when he saw her expression.  
**

"**B-Backup... Alter-" Her voice cut off sharply. She put a hand up to her pale face and backed into the opposite wall. She simply pointed into the room. Most of the orphanage was now in that one hallway, making her feel trapped and crowded. She hated lots of attention and took off running as Beyond peeked through the door, his face instantly losing all color. **

**She ran outside, not stopping until she reached the woods, which weren't far away. She curled up in a little ball against one of the trees_._ _'Alternate... Why?'_ She wondered numbly. Tears streaked down her face, though she hardly noticed them or the biting chill of the wind against her. She sat there, huddled and freezing, for what felt like hours, but was probably more like half of one.**

"**Raven! Raven, where are you? Raven! Answer me, damn it!" She put her elbows onto her knees and hid her face in her hands. She didn't want Beyond to see her like this. "Raven! Where the fuck are you!?" He finally came into view and noticed her. "Raven!" He ran over to her. She barely noticed that he had hugged her tightly. He murmured things into her hair that didn't quite reach her, yet she could tell he was fighting to keep his voice steady for her sake.**

"**Altern- Alternate's dead..." She mumbled. Beyond simply gave a small nod. She took a deep breath. The sun had set and the air was somewhere near freezing.**

"**Let's get back inside. We'll freeze if we're out here for much longer," Backup murmured. She nodded, and he helped to her feet.**


	5. Chapter 5: Familiarity

**AN**

**Thank all of you who have followed my story!**

**Hello once more, my fellow fanfiction writing geeks! It is I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! I'm not very creative in these Authors Notes. I know.**

**NOTE: Raven will turn 21 soon.**

**Font meanings: Plain Bold; Authors Note, Memories. ****_Bold Italic; Dreams. _**_Plain Italic; Thoughts._

**I do not own Death Note. **

* * *

Hotel in Japan, two years later

_'An Interpol broadcast?' _She watched in puzzled silence as a man with the name plate Lind L. Tailor sat in front of the camera.

"I am Lind L. Tailor, otherwise known as L." Her eyes widened slightly. _'What the hell is going on?' _"The sole person able to mobilize police in ever country around the world." _'Even with this Kira crap, L wouldn't ever show his face. If this truly is L, he's a flippin' idiot! He'll definitely need a successor if he keeps this up! _"Criminals have been the targets of a killing spree which has turned into the biggest mass murder case in history. This monstrous crime must be stopped at all costs. 'Kira,' as this perpetrator is commonly known, will be caught. I guarantee it."

"What are you doing? Broadcasting your name and face is an idiotic move... This can't be real."

"Kira, I think I've got a pretty good idea of why you're doing this." _'Don't say it... You'll be killed!'_

"... But what you're doing," he paused. "...is evil." Lind smiled. _'What are you doing... Even if this isn't the real L, this Lind L. Tailor will be killed...' _Lind gasped, clutching at his chest. _'No! He can't be having a...' _He collapsed onto his desk. Raven's eyes widened further. As his body was dragged away, the screen turned white and the familiar black old English style L settled in the center of it. If Lind L. Tailor hadn't just been killed, she would have breathed a sigh of relief.

"I... Don't believe it... This was an experiment to test a hunch I had, but I never really thought... Kira, it looks like you can kill without direct contact... So... My hunch was right... I couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes, but you can...You'd have to, of course. It didn't make sense otherwise... Listen to me, Kira. If you just killed Lind L. Tailor, the man you saw on your TV, he was a condemned criminal scheduled to die today, at this hour. His arrest and conviction were kept secret from the media, and went unreported even on the internet. Even you had no way of knowing about him, it seems... But I, L, do in fact exist. So, come on! Kill me if you can!"

"L, don't! You're literally asking to be killed!" She knew he couldn't hear her, but she said it anyway.

"What are you waiting for? Come on! Go ahead and kill me! I'm still here. Can't do it, Kira?" _'L, you idiot... If Kira is able to kill you, there is no doubt that they will.' _

"Evidently, you aren't able to kill me. So there are people you can't kill. That's a valuable clue. Now I'll give you some information in return. Although it was announced that this was being televised globally, actually, it was broadcast only in the Kanto region around Tokyo. The plan was to broadcast live to other areas in turn, but that's no longer necessary. You are in the Kanto region of Japan, Kira. And, although the police have missed this, your first victim was the Shinjuku killer who took eight people hostage in a nursery school."

_'I remember that... It was a few days ago. That's how long Kira has been killing?' _"Kira, it would interest me greatly to know how you carry out your murders, but that's something I can find out after I catch you. Kira... I'm going to find and dispose of you if it's the last thing I do! I'm righteous!" Raven was left in almost open-mouthed shock. L had managed to confirm Kira's existence and their general location without revealing anything about himself. _'That's L, for you. If Kira had been able to kill him, L would be dead. It was a huge risk. He did it purely on a hunch. That idiot's going to get himself killed if he's not careful.' _She sighed as the television returned to its normal show. _'I wonder what they'll do next.'_

* * *

_**She sat in a classroom that she didn't recognize. The students and teacher were all a solid grey color, except for one. His brown eyes and hair seemed oddly familiar to her. She looked outside, bored out of her mind. Nothing the teacher said actually sounded like words. **__'What's that?' __**A small black notebook fell from the sky. Her eyes widened slightly as one of the students came into focus.**_

_** He got up and left the classroom. She wanted to follow him but couldn't make herself get up. In a few moments, the boy appeared in next to the notebook. **__'Don't... Don't pick up that notebook... There something wrong with it...' __**He picked it up and his vaguely grey color shifted to a red. **__'Throw it away... Don't use it... It's...' __**Her thoughts muddled as a pen appeared in his hands and he wrote something in the notebook. Her chest seized with pain.**_

* * *

She sat up in the bed, clutching at her chest. The pain was gone, but it had felt so real... _'The notebook that the boy picked up. It felt... Wrong. Like it was evil. That's ridiculous. A notebook can't be evil.'_ She had long ago learned to not simply dismiss her dreams, but a notebook couldn't be evil, right? A notebook couldn't kill. Right? She shook her head.

_'Simply writing in a notebook can't kill someone.' _She sighed, trying to chase away a headache. _'Not again...' _Her laptop buzzed to life without her near it. _'What does he want __now__?' _She groaned and sat up, reaching for the laptop. She knew that whatever L was contacting her about was most likely about the Kira case. _'Well, I'm already investigating. What would he possibly want from me?'_ She typed into the box as the old English L settled on her screen.

-What now?-

"I apologize. Have you not heard of the Kira case?"

-Yeah. Saw your media stunt the other day. That could have been dangerous.-

"I suppose. I would like your help." Her sleepy eyes widened.

-Say that again? I don't think I heard you correctly.-

"I said, I would like your help, if you're not busy." She smiled groggily.

-Sure. I'm not doing anything. In fact, I've just arrived in Japan.-

"Were you already investigating?"

-Yup.-

"I must admit I thought you would refuse."

-You still think I seem to have a grudge against you or something. I left because I didn't want to be your successor. That doesn't mean I'm not willing to work with you.-

"I see." He gave her the hotel name and room number.

* * *

It didn't take her long to get there. She knocked on the door, listening closely for a response. She felt incredibly nervous, but felt if needed she could easily defend herself.

"It's unlocked. Come in, Raven." She took a deep breath. _'I've heard that voice before...'_ She tensed slightly. _'Anyone could be behind this door. Anyone. It doesn't even have to be L. It could be anyone... Should I really do this? Could this be some sort of trap?' _She thought for a few moments. Deciding on being prepared to run if necessary, she braced herself for anything, and opened the door.

"_Lost One_!?" He smirked slightly. He stood in his usual hunch, with his black hair falling into his dark eyes.

"Yes." She relaxed a little, walking into the room and shutting the door behind her.

"I... Never would have thought... That you'd be L."

"I had hoped," He replied simply.

"Damn, you haven't changed a bit," She laughed.

"You haven't either."

"To be honest... I'm a little relieved that you're someone I know. I mean, I knew you would be trustworthy, but it's cool that your someone I knew, even briefly."

"I see."

* * *

"This is everything you've gathered?"

"Yes. Please tell me what you think."

"Hmm... Judging from the times of deaths, I'd say we may be looking for a student," He leaned over her shoulder to watch. "though, possibly, someone with the same work schedule as a student. However, only criminals and those who try to catch Kira are being targeted, I'd say that this person has a very simple and childish idea of justice. Criminals bad, justice good. Sort of like that. Maybe a student is more likely."

"Is that all?"

"Oi, give me a minute, will you? Anyway, the stunt you pulled the other day proves that Kira is at least in Japan. The Kanto region. That could have been really stupid, you know."

"I know. However, my hunch-"

"Your hunch. Exactly," She cut him off. "you could have been killed over a hunch. Just be careful, alright?"

"Alright. I will also ask you to investigate suspects that I cannot directly."

"So you're asking me to actually go out into the world and investigate people?"

"Basically."

She nodded.

"Alright. What, if anything else, have you come up with?"

"Kira needs a name and face in order to kill."

"Why do you think that?"

"Criminals names who weren't broadcast or spelled incorrectly, or who's faces weren't shown haven't been targeted. It may be a bit of a leap, but it's a possibility."

"I agree."

* * *

"Each criminal killed off on the hour. Just after we begin to suspect that Kira may be a student. Almost like Kira knew what we thinking... Strange, isn't it?" Raven thought aloud. It was an absentminded habit of hers, starting a few weeks after the LABB case. L glanced at her, and she shook her head. "Sorry. Just thinking."

"No, your right. Kira may very well have access to police information. That would make sense, seeing as how we only just began to suspect that Kira may be a student... Very good, Raven."

"Thanks, but I really wasn't trying to impress. I was just thinking. We should start investigating the police and those closest to them."

"Agreed, but you look like you want to say something."

"I just-… I think that Kira may be able to control the times of deaths. Why every hour? In prisons, where they'll be discovered immediately. Why?"

"That is a very good point."

"If Kira could control the times of death, they'd be able to do their usual routine without bothering about killing the criminals."

"I was right to ask for your help," L muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

* * *

"Raven, I may ask you to investigate a few suspects, soon." Raven looked up from the white light of the computer, over to L, who was sitting at the opposite end of the room. She noticed that the light from his computer screen cast dark shadows over his eyes.

"Didn't you just send twelve FBI agents here?"

"Yes. But I was thinking, if needed, you could try to befriend a suspect in order to gather information is that fails."

"L, lets get one thing straight. I agreed to helping you with this case, but I find manipulating peoples emotions despicable."

"I see. I am not asking you to get into a relationship with a suspect, only that, if needed, you could possibly befriend a few to investigate."

"Alright. I guess I can do that."

"Thank you." She turned her attention back to the computer, absentmindedly chewing on her bottom lip in thought. _'If Kira can control the times of death, they can do whatever they do in their usual routine without suspicion.' _She looked at the files of the chief of the investigation, Yagami's family.

Soichiro Yagami

Light Yagami

Sayu Yagami

Sachiko Yagami

She sighed, clicking on Light Yagami. _'Wow. This kids at the top in the nationwide exams. Seems like a normal kid, but something-' _Her eyes widened. _'He looks like the kid from my dream...'_

"Raven? Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. Just need some coffee." _'If this kid, Light, is the kid from my dream, maybe they aren't just simple dreams. They've seemed to warn me of things before. The night my parents were killed, the night Beyond found me, the night I found out that Beyond was behind the LABB case, now... Light Yagami. Whether L asks me to or not, I'm going to investigate him. I can't just let this go.'_


	6. Chapter 6: Task Force

**AN**

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday! I got a surprise visit from a friend I haven't seen in a few months. Anyway, here's chapter 6! Alright, the ending to this chapter is a little abrupt, sorry :p. I only have the first two volumes of the manga, so many of the scenes from after the second volume will be from the anime. **

**Me: Disclaimer? Umm... Ryuk?**

**Ryuk: Heh heh, sure. Only if I get an apple.**

**Me: (groans) Fine! Jeez, you're annoying. (tosses apple)**

**Ryuk: YAY! (chomps on apple) ObviouslyADeathNoteFan doesn't own Death Note. **

* * *

_**Dark. Silent. Cold. Empty. Alone. No... Not alone. L. L stood in front of Raven. His back was towards her and it took a moment for her to realize that it was him. **_

"_**L? Where-"**_

"_**Where doesn't matter right now."**_

"_**What do-"**_

"_**Raven, if I am to die on this investigation, would you take my place as L?"**_

"_**What... What the fuck are you talking about, L? You aren't going to die..." He turned to her. She half expected something to be wrong with him, but all she saw was the sad and lonely look in his eyes. "L?" He faded into the dark void that surrounded her. "L! Don't! Come back! L! Please!" She started to panic. The darkness seemed to engulf everything around her. "L... Come back..." Someone faded into focus a little way off. "Light Yagami..." He turned to her. She didn't like his eyes. **_

_**They were tinted a red color. Not like Beyond's. Beyond's eyes were a deep bloody crimson. Light's eyes were a little more subtle, mixed with an amber. He smirked at Raven. "What did you do to him? Where did he go? Tell me, damn it!" He faded into the darkness as well. She was left alone in the silence and dark. "Wait! Don't leave me alone! Come back! Someone... Please..."**_

* * *

She opened her eyes slowly, blinking away the sleep from her eyes. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, wondering what her dream was about. _'That wasn't my usual nightmare... Instead of waking up terrified, it was just... Sad. I was left alone, which is strange, because being left completely alone is my worst fear... I need coffee before I think about this too hard.' _

She made herself a cup of the bitter liquid, and sweetened it quickly. She carried it out into the other room, eyes adjusting to the darkness. She made out the familiar detective, sitting in front of the laptop. He wasn't crouched, just sitting in front of it, deep in thought.

"Hey."

"Hello, Raven."

"Find anything out?" A beep sounded from the laptop. L looked back toward it.

"Oh, what is it, Watari?"

"L, another victim has left a note. I'll scan it for you."She sat next to L, watching as the images popped up. Her eyes widened as she read the message. _'L, do you know... Gods of Death... Love apples?'_

"We are meeting the remaining members of the Kira Task Force, tonight."

"Yes, L, I knew that. Midnight, right?" He nodded. "That's," she checked her watch, "in half an hour. Yeesh, great job warning me, L."

"Please call me Ryuzaki, now."

"Ryuzaki..?"

"Yes."

"... I see. Alright, Ryu."

"Zaki. Ryuzaki."

"Ryu." Raven smirked as L sighed. Thirty minutes passed rather quickly. Raven just sat in front of the laptop, only looking up every few minutes to check the time.

* * *

A knock finally sounded at the door. She turned off her laptop, putting it to the side and waited.

"Please enter. I've been awaiting you," L got up and stood a few feet back from the door. A second passed before the door opened. In walked the Task Force. He scratched his left leg with his right foot absentmindedly. She couldn't see the Task Force, though she could tell they were shocked at Ryuzaki's odd appearance. She stifled a small laugh as she heard them give out their names.

"Bang," She grinned into the back of her hand, which she had raised to her mouth to avoid chuckling.

"What the hell was that?" Aizawa asked.

"Mm, if I were Kira, you'd be dead, Mr. Soichiro Yagami. All Kira needs to murder someone is knowledge of their name and their face. You ought to know that by now... Common sense says that you can't kill anybody just by knowing their name and face. But the fact is, criminals are dropping dead one after the other on the basis of that information. We're the only ones left who are willing to risk our lives for this. So let's be careful about telling people our names. Let's value our lives."

They stumbled in behind him as he walked into the room. "Please turn off your cell phones, laptops, and any other electronic equipment and place them on that table."

"You think we might have our cell phones on talk mode so someone could monitor our conversation?" Aizawa glared at L.

"Just do as he says, Aizawa."

Almost as soon as they walked into the room they noticed Raven. _'Finally.'_ She couldn't help but smirk as they their expressions once again turned to those of shock.

"L, uh... Who's this?" Matsuda asked, curiously. Raven shot L a glance.

"I, Mr. Matsuda, am Raven." She recognized his voice.

"Uh, L, we were under the impression that you worked alone," Soichiro stated.

"Not on this particular case, Yagami. L specifically asked me to work with him."

"I see." She stared at them, now bored.

"Please make yourselves comfortable," L crouched in a chair and Raven moved to make a bit more room on the couch she sat cross-legged on. She sat normally. Matsuda sat next to her, giving her a small smile, which she returned. "two things. Don't write anything I say here down. Keep it in your heads. And don't call me L anymore. Please call me Ryuzaki. Both for safety."

"Okay, Ryu," Raven murmured with a slight smirk. He glanced at her before continuing. She blocked out most of the conversation, having heard it all before.

* * *

"So... Any questions?" L finally asked.

"I have a question for you, Ryuzaki. Earlier you said you hate losing. By showing your face to us, aren't you admitting that Kira defeated you?" This caught Raven's attention and she focused on the conversation once more.

"Yes. Showing myself, and the loss of those FBI agents' lives, means I lost. But... I'll win in the end. Like yourselves, this is the first time I've staked my life on a contest. Let's show him, those of us who are risking our lives..." He paused. "That the good guys always win."

He smiled, a smile that Raven hadn't seen before. It wasn't mocking or sarcastic, in fact, it was the opposite. _'That's actually kinda cute.' _She couldn't help smiling along with him. The Task Force agreed, feeling motivated. L asked to speak to each of the Task Force separately, which toned down their moods a little. L walked over to the window and stared out. Raven got up and joined him, staring out at the lights.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked quietly.

"Just one clue..." He murmured. He didn't have to say any more. Raven knew what he was thinking. She was thinking almost the exact same thing. _'Just one clue... Just one thing... Just one piece of evidence is all it could take... Just one small clue...'_

* * *

"I'm very sorry for interrogating all of you like that. But now, I can say that Kira is not among us."

Having gotten no sleep the previous night, Raven's eyes were trying to close. She had nearly nodded off a few times, snapped to attention by a gentle poke from L. She would mumble an apology and stay awake for a while, before almost nodding off again. "Raven, perhaps you should get some rest. You need it, after all."

"No, no, I'm fine. I have coffee now. Anyhow, you need more sleep than I do," She smiled a little groggily over her cup of overly-sweet coffee. A blip sounds from his phone. Raven noticed a small twitch of annoyance from Matsuda and grinned at him.

"Fine. We've just finished, too. Use your own key to let yourself in," He closes the phone and turns back to the Task Force. "Watari's on his way." Raven's eyes widened as she realized she had never seen Watari in person, either. An old man walked through the door and greeted the Task Force.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Raven," He said, taking off his hat. She waved in response while the Task Force gaped in shocked silence.

"Oh, don't tell me you guys really thought he'd just show up in his usual getup? If he did that, he'd basically be calling out to the world, announcing that he is Watari. That'd be all it'd take to reveal their location," She stared in amusement at the open mouthed Task Force.

"Precisely. The fact that I can show my face to you like this is proof that Ryuzaki trusts you. I've brought what you asked for, Ryuzakim" He held up a small case.

"Could you hand them out, then?" Watari opened the box to reveal six false IDs and belts.

"These are you're new IDs."

"New IDs?"

"Both the name and rank are bogus..." Yagami pointed out, staring at the fake ID.

"Kira needs to know a face and a name to commit murder. Sure we're risking our lives, but why make it easy for him? This is an obvious step to take," L explained.

"Yes, but... I don't know about cops using fake IDs..."

"Ukita, Kira needs a name as well as a face to kill them. For now, a false name may be all we can do to protect ourselves at the moment," Raven sipped her coffee.

"I agree with... Sorry, what was your name?" Yagami nodded.

"Raven. Just Raven. I'd prefer to use an alias, than give out my name to anyone."

"I see. We should use these instead of our real IDs." Raven took another sip of coffee.

"So, whenever you need to give out your name to anyone, please use these fake IDs, but make sure you don't pull them out by mistake inside the NPA. That could cause problems." '

"Oh, and, please wear these belts at all times. A transmitter is embedded inside the buckle. It will tell Ryuzaki where you are," Watari continued. "if you push the button with force, two times," A phone began ringing. "my cell phone will ring. I will then call you back right away. Please check in every morning at the NPA's office, as usual. Then, using this method, I will tell you Ryuzaki's hotel and room number. You can also use this in any emergency."

"Wow, it's like we're a top secret squad assigned to go after Kira!" Matsuda grinned, adjusting his belt. Yagami scolded him for being childish.

"Oi, let him be a little childish if he wants," She patted L's head, earning an odd look. "I mean, look at L," She grinned at seeing his expression. Matsuda smiled, looking a little less like a sad puppy.

"Anyway, one more thing. There's nobody in the NPA's Task Force office right now. That's no good. Take turns so one of you is always over there," L looks over at the chief, who sent Aizawa away.


	7. Chapter 7: Cameras

**AN**

**I got a favorite and a follow! Thank you guys! I'm glad my story isn't total crap. Now that I've gotten Raven onto the Kira case, I'm at a bit of a loss for what to do now. Her character isn't really explained, she kinda just showed up, and I haven't planned any of the story out. Anyway, I'll think of what I want to do with the story. For now, chapter 7! Enjoy, my fellow geeks!**

**Me: Uhh... Disclaimer?**

…

**Me: Fine. I don't own Death Note in any way. **

* * *

"That's all of the security footage we managed to find showing the murdered FBI agents. We're lucky we found this much," Aizawa stated. Raven groaned quietly. She hadn't gotten much sleep since the case began. Raven sighed, filling her coffee mug with the bitter liquid for the third time that morning.

"Can you play back the parts where Raye Penber goes through the turnstile, where he gets on the train, and where he dies? I'd like to see those again, next to each other." She plopped onto the couch beside L, careful not to spill her coffee, now sweetened to her liking. "Very strange... He gets on the train at 3:13. He dies the moment he gets off, at 4:42. One full circle on the Yamanote Line loop takes an hour, and he was on there for an hour and a half... But no other ticket was found on him, and nothing is printed on his prepaid card to indicate he got out and reentered. Raye Penber sat on that train for an hour and half with the file on him... Kira can control peoples actions right before they die. So I suppose we could just say that the reason any of the agents acted strangely that day, but... Raven, what do you think?"

"If you look closely, you can see that Raye is carrying at the turnstile and on the platform. No one found anything like that on him or around him after he died," She smirked as Aizawa's eyes widened and he leaned in closer to the TV along with the other members of the Task Force, even including L.

"You're right! He's holding an envelope! I can't believe you noticed that, Raven."

"Please continue, Raven, if you have more to say. Even I didn't notice that until you said it."

"Pffy. Unlikely, but... Hmm... It may be nothing, but before he dies he seems to be try to look into the train. Would it be possible that Kira was _there_? Maybe Raye was trying to look at his killer... It doesn't seem likely that Kira would go to the scene of his murder, but maybe he thought that we'd make that assumption and decided it would be safe enough to make such a move. Thoughts, Ryu?"

"Even if Kira was on this train, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't let himself be captured on a security camera with the envelope. A public place like this, he would have checked the camera locations in advance and used the blindspots, if any. If not, he'd surely hide behind someone. But if he _is _captured on camera with it, we could call him in as a material witness," Raven nodded. L stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Okay, so... Aizawa, you keep searching for connections between the eleven FBI agents and those heart attack victims, while Yagami and Matsuda concentrate on what Raye Penber was up to."

* * *

"Ryu? What's wrong?" He snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Matsuda.

"Naomi Misora has gone missing," Raven tilted her head a little to the side to show her confusion. "Misora. The woman who caught B." Her eyes widened.

"I see... Raye Penber's fiance, you said... -"

"Anybody would get depressed after her fiance died. Don't you think that..." Matsuda trailed off.

"She committed suicide..." Aizawa concluded the thought.

"No. The Naomi Misora I knew had great inner strength. And was an excellent FBI agent. I think she'd try to go after Kira. She was with Raye Penber... She may have known something..."

"She may have. I think, if she's as strong as you say, and knew something about Kira, she may have tried to tell us something... It's possible that Kira got to her first, if she did..."

"Haley Belle was the first person to receive the file. Penber called him minutes before that. Belle then sent Penber the file right away... So the one who _wanted _the file could have been Penber. That's very significant." L turned away from the Task Force in thought. "Here's what we do. We're narrowing the investigation down to those Raye Penber was probing before December nineteenth, when Kira started conducting tests on the prisoners.

That's very few people. However... Since it's quite possible that Kira is one of them, calling them in for questioning is not going to work. It's too dangerous. Our focus will be two NPA personnel, and their families... Penber reported there were 'no grounds for suspicion' for any of them, but... Nevertheless, inside those two homes..." He finally turned back to the Task Force. His expression made Raven slightly tense. _'He's about to do something, isn't he?' _"We will place secret cameras and listening devices." _'...Yup.' _

"Ryu, -"

"Wh- what!? This is Japan! That's totally illegal!" Matsuda cried.

"Yeah! That's going too far, Ryuzaki." Aizawa butted in. Raven sighed. "If that got out, there'd be a huge scandal. We'd all be fired..."

"Matsuda. Aizawa. I agree, though in order to solve this case, this may be all we can do at the moment. Anyway, you'll risk your lives, but not your jobs?" They all stopped, staring at Raven with wide eyes.

"Who were the NPA personnel that Penber was probing?" Yagami asked.

"Deputy Director-General Kitamura and his family. Detective-Superintendent Yagami and his family. I'd like to place bugs and hidden cameras in those two houses."

"Ryuzaki... What is the probability of Kira being in one of those families?"

"Ten percent," L turned to look at the Task Force. "no, five percent." They stared in shock at him for a few seconds before Matsuda and Aizawa protested.

"No. Our investigation hasn't turned up anything close to a suspect so far... Even a probability of one percent is better than that, and needs to be scrutinized..." Raven looked at the chief.

"Yes, but with bugs and hidden cameras!? In the deputy chief's house, and your own? There's gotta be other ways," Said Matsuda, looking over at the chief.

"Mats-"

"I find it extremely galling, to say the least, to have my family under suspicion. So very well. You have my permission! But, if you do this, I insist you go all the way. I want bugs and cameras in the bathrooms, hallways, every inch of the house so that nothing is missed!"

"Yagami, you -"

"That's exactly what I plan to do." _'Will no one hear me out today?' _Raven gave a small sigh as Matsuda and Aizawa once again began protesting. She flinched as Yagami began shouting.

"I'm _fully_ aware of what this means! Including the fact that it's meaningless if it isn't done thoroughly! Now just shut up!" He walked a bit away from the group, leaning against the wall with his back toward them. Raven hesitated and walked up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. She heard the other members of the Task Force give quiet apologies. Her attention went back to L as he spoke.

"As a courtesy to Yagami, surveillance of the house will be carried out by him and myself only, while the rest of you take turns doing the following. Two people keep watch over the Kitamura house, one person mans the NPA office. And one person looks through the Yamanote Line security videos to check if anyone from the Kitamura or Yagami families is pictured. The bugs and cameras will be in place for seven days. This period may be shortened or extended, depending on the circumstances. In either case, I'll tell you about it. You have my word I will not extend it secretly. So that's all right, then? Watari, how long will it take you to get the bugs, cameras and monitors ready?"

"Starting tomorrow, they can be installed anytime, once we know when nobody will be home."

"Chief, I want to apologize for this. But you do realize this is what we have to do, don't you?" All attention turned to her again. He sighed.

"Yes. And you don't have to apologize. It isn't your fault." She nodded, walking over to L.

"Still..."

"Anyhow. Good. So we'll need at least two monitoring rooms set up in another hotel. Once the bugs and cameras are in place, we'll move over to that hotel," L finished.

* * *

Raven sat, watching the Kitamura house, bored out of her mind. Because she wasn't in the NPA, she was almost always either watching the Kitamura family or looking through the Yamanote security tapes. They were eating at the moment, making her aware of a feeling of hunger in her own stomach. She glanced over a Matsuda, who sat beside her. She got up, walking over to the coffee machine a few feet away.

"You never stop drinking that stuff, do you?" Matsuda grinned at her. She grinned back, sleepily.

"Nope. Can't," She glanced down, a little sadly. He looked over at her curiously.

"Why not?" She paused, the spoonful of sugar poised above the cup. Her expression fell a little.

"... Bad dreams."

"Ah..." An awkward silence filled the room, interrupted only by the clinking of silverware from the family on the TV screens. Raven sat back down, cup in hand. She smiled at him.

"You're actually pretty cool, Matsu. I don't get why everyone treats you so badly," She smiled, looking back up. Matsuda laughed.

"Yeah, I don't get it either. Thanks for sticking up for me, by the way." She dismissed this with a wave of her hand.

"It does seem like we're a top secret squad going after Kira." He laughed again, rubbing the back of his neck.

* * *

"Raven?" L called. The Task Force had left nearly an hour ago, and he hadn't seen her since. He was about to call her name again, but stopped as he walked into the room. She was asleep on the couch, curled up in a small ball facing the back of it. He grabbed a blanket and gently tossed it over her, not wanting to wake her. She relaxed a little more and hugged the blanket loosely.

She smiled in her sleep. _'It's so rare to see her sleeping so peacefully...' _A tiny smile formed on his face as he left the room. He was concerned for her health. She rarely slept anymore, though more often than him. He knew why she didn't sleep. He knew she suffered from nightmares. He paused when he heard her mumble something and turn over.

"Mmm, L? 's that you?" He turned around. She half sat up, her elbow propped up against the the arm of the couch.

"Yes." She tried to blink the sleep from her eyes.

"Uhh, was there something you needed?"

"No. I was just wondering where you were."

"Oh. Alright. I'm going back to sleep," He nodded, turning around. " and thanks for the blanket." She mumbled as he left, shutting the door behind him.


	8. Chapter 8: Loss

**AN**

**I got another follow! Thanks again, geeks! :) Odd question for you OC fanfiction writers, do you ever act like your character? Or does your character act like you? Just curious.  
**

**Sorry for any OOCness! But the memories are before they left Wammy's. **

**Font Meanings: Plain Bold; AN, Memories. _Bold italic; Dreams. _**_Plain italic; Thoughts._

**Disclaimer: This is FANFICTION. You'd think it'd be obvious, but I don't own Death Note.**

* * *

_**She watched the fallen pieces of the chess board that seemed to go on forever. The bodies of the fallen lay everywhere. It was all thanks to that damned notebook. It made her feel lightheaded and sick. The pawns were the victims, on either side. The more important pieces, the people she knew. Matsuda, Aizawa, Mogi, Ukita, Raye, Misora, Yagami, Watari... Light. Light, standing tall a few spaces in front of L. The kings and her, along with one other girl. She stood two spaces away to the right of Kir- Light. She wanted to move, to run, to jump, to somehow help L. She wondered vaguely what piece she was. **_

_**A red and blue tint to the air surrounded the two kings, with a blue shimmer to the air around her. Light smirked, not seeming to care that he had lost nearly his entire battlefield along with destroying almost all of L's. She noticed another piece near her. A blonde. A blonde with a slightly blue tint, though Raven could tell she was on Light's side in the game. **'As if this were a game...' **By the movements of the blonde, Raven could tell that she was either a rook or queen. Her eyes widened as she realized that the blonde was one move away from victory. She wanted to warn L, tried, couldn't.** _

_**She noticed the lack of sound was making her anxious. The blonde moved. **'L... The blonde, watch out! Move...'** He couldn't read her thoughts and didn't see the blonde Raven found herself moving diagonally towards L. **'Either a bishop or queen, like the blonde over there.' **The very blonde that took the opportunity to win the game. She moved closer to him, onto the white space he stood upon. He seemed to know what was happening as he collapsed.**_

"_**L! NO!" L gripped his chest, face going pale, as he fell.**_

* * *

She awoke suddenly, sitting up and looking around the room in slight confusion. She gave a sigh of relief to see L walk into the room, carrying two cups o- _'COFFEE!' _She smiled as he handed her one.

"Hey," She mumbled, rubbing her sleepy eyes, accepting the cup.

"Hi." He crouched down onto the couch beside her.

"Thanks for the blanket."

"Not a problem. Are you alright? You're pale." She stared into the cup.

"I had another dream." His expression changed, a little less relaxed than before.

"Dreams are only that, dreams."

"But, L, I've had these sorts of dreams before... Quite a few, actually," She gave a bitter laugh, staring into the cup again. "when my parents were killed, Beyond, when he brought me to Wammy's, before A died, when I learned that B was fucking crazy, now this."

"I see."

* * *

"**Oi! Backup! Where are you!?" She jumped nearly a foot in the air when a pale face with one red eye visible peeked around the dark corner of the hallway. "JEEZ! Be- Backup! Don't scare me like that! Anyway, wanna go on a walk?" He smirked, coming around the corner.**

"**You scare so easily, Raven." She stuck her tongue out at him.**

"**Because I know you!" She laughed as he pulled a fake pout which looked absolutely ridiculous on him. **

"**That's not very nice." She punched him playfully in the arm, grinning. "Neither is that. But, I suppose, a walk would be nice. Sure." She ran off to get her jacket as he did the same. As soon as he came back out, he smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him outside. The autumn air was cold with a slight breeze rustling the yellow and orange leaves under foot and above them.**

"**It's so pretty this time of year." She pulled her blue scarf a little higher so as to cover her chin.**

"**Heh. And cold." Raven shivered and Backup pulled her a little closer to him. She smiled, looking over at him. Her expression saddened when she passed a tree she recognized as the one she had curled up against almost two years ago, just after A died. Backup noticed this and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They passed the tree quickly. She sighed into her hands, warming them. **

"**Hey, Backup?"**

"**Hmm?" She paused.**

"**...Nothing." She knew he was going to leave soon, but he still hadn't said anything.**

"**What is it?"**

"**Nothing..." **

**They walked in silence for a while. "Remember when you found me?" **

"**Yeah. That was a long time ago."**

"**Yeah. I was wondering why you were out there at all? I mean, curfew is eight, and if I remember correctly it was around midnight when you found me."**

**"I snuck out after I got into a fight with one of the kids. I heard something in the alley, and found you there."**

"**Who was it?"**

"**I can't remember. I think they were adopted like a week later."**

"**Ah. I almost can't believe it's already been four years..." Backup nodded. **

"**Happy birthday, Raven. I... Got you something." She smiled.**

"**Really?" He nodded. **

"**Let's get back." **

**They walked back toward the orphanage and to Beyond's room, Raven stopping briefly to shrug off her coat and toss it onto her bed. Upon reaching Backup's room, he took a small blue box from under his bed and gave it to Raven, smiling a little awkwardly. She grinned and took the box, reading a small note card attached to it.**

**To; Raven**

**From; Backup. Hope you like it.**

**She admired the box for a moment before untying the lighter blue ribbon. She took the top off, and stared for a moment at the contents. She looked back at Beyond, who was watching her reaction with a little nervousness.**

"**It's beautiful. Thank you, Beyond," She held up the necklace, watching the reflective metal catch the light and shine. The pendant was a small, silver old English style R, the chain a thin black cord. She held it out to Beyond, turning her back and lifting her hair. He fastened it around her neck, and she turned back to him. She hugged him. He smiled and hugged her back. **

* * *

She smiled at the memory, sitting on her bed and rummaging through a box of her old memories. She pulled out the old necklace, holding it up, watching the metal shine. _'I wonder what made me think of that.' _Her smile faded as she realized that Beyond was now in a mental institution. She put the necklace back in the box and jumped when the door opened. She shut the box quickly and looked up to see who had entered.

"Sorry. I should've knocked," Matsuda rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's alright. What is it?"

"Just wanted to say that we're supposed to be watching the Kitamura house."

She nodded, watching him leave before putting the box back under the bed. She walked out into the surveillance room, plopping down on the couch beside Matsuda. "Uh... You alright?" She looked over at him.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Raven stretched and yawned. She glanced around the room, noticing that Matsuda was drifting off every so often. She patted his shoulder and he snapped awake.

"Ack! Sorry Raven!"

"Ah, it's fine."

Aizawa burst through the door, making Raven jump.

"Guys! Three small time thieves were just killed! Have the Kitamura's done anything odd?" Raven glanced back at the TV.

"No. They went to bed around fifteen minutes ago," Raven said, narrowing her eyes in thought. _'Kira's been killing very petty criminals ever since we've started the surveillance. Right after their identities were broadcast. Something's wrong here...'_

"Our surveillance of the Yagami and Kitamura families and houses has revealed..." Everyone, excluding Raven, leaned in closer to L. "... Nothing. We'll remove the cameras and wiretaps." A collective sigh of relief and disappointment came from the Task Force, once again excluding Raven.

"Hey, Ryu, when you have a moment, I'd like to talk to you."

"Of course. Yagami, I'm asking your permission to bring Light onto the case." Yagami's eyes widened, along with Raven's.

"Well... If he wants to join, I won't stop him. You have my permission."

"Thank you."

* * *

They talked for a while after that, before L finally turned his attention to Raven once more. "Raven," He nodded to the other room. The walked into it, and Raven shut the door behind them. "what is it?"

"I... Wanted to ask about Light."

"Ask what?"

"I... I have my suspicions of him and wanted to investigate, but I didn't know you would just bring him onto the case like that. So, I guess, never mind. I'll keep an eye on him."

"What are your suspicions based on?" She looked down.

"Well, my dreams," She muttered, examining the table. It sounded ridiculous, she knew.

"... I see."

"I've been wanting to investigate him for a while, but have never gotten the chance. I have, however looked over his file. He seems... Too... Perfect to me. What do you think?"

"I think the same. The reasons I have for inviting him onto the Task Force are to watch him, and, if he is Kira, he may reveal himself to me somehow." She smiled.

"I doubt that. But I agree, either way it would benefit us to have him here."

* * *

"You're... Going... To what?"

"Go to the To-Oh entrance exams and meet with Light Yagami." She stared at him, showing no signs of anxiety or nervousness.

"I'm going," She stated firmly. L sighed.

"Alright, then."

"Well... That was easy," Raven smiled, glad she wouldn't have to put up a fight.

"You did say that you wanted to investigate Light."

"True, but I never thought you'd let me go with you so easily."

* * *

"You there! Student number 162! Student number 163! Sit correctly and pay attention!" Raven watched as Light turned his attention to them. She sat with arms on the table, head resting on them.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw L watching Light like a hawk. She smirked as Light and L made eye contact, before resuming the test. The questions were easy enough, and she could answer them all quickly. She finished a couple of minutes after L and Light.

* * *

_**Beyond stood in front of her, his red eyes lacking the bright quality they possessed before. There were surroundings that Raven vaguely took in as the inside of an institution. That didn't matter at the moment. What mattered, was what Beyond was trying to say. His words were quiet and she could only make out a few. **_

_**"Sorry... Raven... Kira... Kira... Killed." She was about to ask him what he meant, when his face went incredibly pale and he clutched his chest, falling to his knees.**_

"_**BEYOND!"**_

* * *

Institution

"Hey! Hey! Someone! This guy's-" A patient called. The man before him had been speaking to him not a moment ago, when he collapsed. A guard showed up at the door. His eyes widened.

"What happened?"

"I- I don't know... He just collapsed..." He backed away, eyes wide. "Kira..."

* * *

HQ

Her phone rang, startling the silence of the Task Force. She mouthed an apology, walking into the other room, a little worried when she saw the number of the mental institution that Beyond was staying in pop up. She answered it, using a name that she had, er, 'borrowed' from Beyond's alias.

"This is Ryu."

"Um... I'm very sorry, but patient you came to see, Beyond Birthday," They paused, sighing. "he's dead." It took her a moment to process it.

"W-What? I... What?" The voice on the other end sighed.

"I'm very sorry. He had a heart attack..." A numbness washed over her.

"...I see. Thank you for telling me," Her tone was emotionless and quiet.

"Wai-" She hung up, snapping the phone closed. She stood frozen in shock. It hadn't fully sunken in yet. The phone dropped from her hand and made a soft thud when reaching the carpet. A knock sounded at the door. She tried to say something but her throat had clamped up and she couldn't. It opened, revealing the familiar detective. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

"Raven? What is it?" He moved quickly over to her. She shook her head furiously, a hand covering her open mouth.

"H-He's... Beyond... He's..." She couldn't finish the sentence. Watari appeared in the doorway.

"Ryuzaki, I've just received word. Backup is dead." His eyes widened. He knew that Beyond was Raven's last friend from Wammy's. She barely knew L.

"Raven, I'm-"

"I- I need some time alone. I need to think. Sorry. I'll be back soon." She went to her room, quickly shutting the door and pressing the lock. She leaned against the back of the door, sliding down it as the realization struck her. _'Beyond is dead...'_

* * *

L knocked softly on the door. Raven hadn't come out for a few hours and it was worrying him greatly.

"Please, Ryu, just leave me be for a while. I'll come out... Eventually." He sighed quietly.

"Come out when you're ready. I'm... I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Thank you." He stood for a second before turning and walking back into the other room.

"Ryuzaki, where's Raven?" Matsuda looked up, curious. Aizawa glared at him.

"Didn't you hear? Her friend died..."

"Uh... Oh..." He resumed working after a moment of silence.

* * *

Raven still sat against the door, staring at the carpet. Her blue eyes held a sort of vacancy, surrounded by dark circles. Her face was red and a little puffy, she had obviously been crying. She got up in a robotic fashion, washing her face in the bathroom. She looked into the mirror, into her own eyes, which seemed to stare right back at her. Almost as if they weren't her own.

She despised the lost look in them, the circles under them. _'Beyond... Beyond would hate seeing me like this. He wouldn't...' _Her eyes moistened again, and she furiously wiped them. _'This is weak.' _She dried her face with a towel and fell onto her bed, curling up in a ball. _'Beyond is dead. Accept it, Raven. He's dead and gone. Never coming back. I can't afford to just wallow here. I need to be working on the Kira case. I swear, I'll find that bastard.' _Anger built up in her and she got up and out of bed. She threw a pillow against the wall, venting her rage.

"Why him!? Why!? Why Beyond!? My friend... The only one who stuck with me! And even he left! Why him!?" She kept her voice quiet enough to avoid the Task Force hearing, but loud enough to try to let some of the anger and grief. After she calmed her ragged breathing, she sat on the bed again, pulling the box out from under her bed. She picked up the necklace, placing it to the side. She held up an old photograph. She recognized it instantly. Beyond, Alternate, L, and of course, she had a group picture taken, back at Wammy's.

* * *

"**Oi! Guys! It's been a month since Raven's arrived!" Alternate burst into the room. Raven laughed.**

"**And?"**

"**And, I got a camera!" He held out a camera, where he got it Raven had no clue. Lost One and Backup took a little interest, leaning in slightly. "Wanna take a picture?" He grinned.**

"**Why?" Raven asked.**

"**I dunno... Why not?"**

"**Good point. Sure. I will." Alternate smiled as Backup agreed as well.**

"**How about you, Lost One? Come on, why not?"**

**"I suppose." They walked out onto the steps of the back door, sitting down.**

"**Hey! Kate! Come take a picture of us!" Alternate called out to one of the other orphans, looking over at them with slight confusion. She nodded, walking over. **

**Raven sat on the far right, Backup next to her, giving her bunny ears and making his red eyes cross, Alternate taking the far right, making a face. Lost One crouched next to Backup, until his double had shoved him back into a sitting position. A slight look of shock formed on Lost One's face as he was pushed. The camera flashed, catching the picture. "Thanks!" Alternate ran over to the girl, taking the camera, and looking at the image. He started to laugh loudly, making the others wonder what was so funny.**

"**Gimme that!" Backup swiped the camera from his laughing friend. Lost One's eyes had caught the light and flashed red, matching Beyond's. With his shocked expression, it was absolutely hilarious. **

"**Oh, man! That's brilliant!" Raven laughed, catching sight of the image, while Lost One just sighed.**

* * *

She smiled, placing the photo down. Her smile faded after a few seconds and she put the items back in the box and placed it under the bed again. She walked to the door, took a deep breath, and walked through it.


	9. Chapter 9: Heart Attack

**AN**

**Hey, fellow geeks! Chapter 9! Enjoy!**

**I do not own Death Note. This is FANFICTION.**

* * *

She stepped out into the room, her shoulders slumped over tiredly.

"Any updates on the case?"

"Uh... No. Raven, uh, if you need to take a day off or some-" Matsuda began.

"No."

"I mean... I'm sure that you can take a day off or something, after all you-"

"I'm fine," The emotionless tone in her voice caught L's attention.

"He's right, Raven," He saw her eyes turn to his for a moment, before returning to the rest of the room. "however, if you insist on working, I suppose I can't stop you." She nodded sitting in a chair and getting to work.

* * *

"Raven, it's been over a month since Beyo-" L began.

"I'm not just going to sit in my room grieving. I'm going to see this case finished with Kira either behind bars or in the chair."

"Sealing off your emotions is not healthy."

"You can talk."

"All I'm saying is that you can't just bottle everything up. It's not good."

"Again, you can talk. Ryu, just let me work on this. In my opinion, it's better than just breaking down every time I think of Beyond." L sighed.

"I suppose." _'She's overworking herself. She can't go on for too much longer like this... I haven't seen her sleep in three days...'_

* * *

**To-Oh**

"Now, the freshman representatives, Light Yagami..."

"Here."

"... and Hideki Ryuga." Murmurs of disbelief at the idols name rose up.

"Oh, uh, here!" Raven watched as 'Hideki' climbed the stairs, following Light. The speeches were generic and boring, with L's suspiciously similar to Light's. "Light Yagami, son of Soichiro Yagami of the NPA. Your respect for your father is only matched by your great sense of justice. You have taken an interest in the Kira case." She joined L's side as he continued talking about the case.

"I won't tell anyone. What is it?"

"I wanted to tell you," he leaned closer to Light, watching his expression closely. "that I am L." His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Couldn't try to be any louder, could ya?" Raven murmured. She watched Light's eye twitch slightly.

"Raven. Not the time." L muttered, glancing over in her direction.

* * *

"You are not obligated to do this, Light, but if you would, I would like you to take a look at these photos." L put three photos onto the table. Raven's eyes scanned over them, realizing that they were the message Kira had sent to L. Light picked them up, reading them carefully. After a moment he spoke.

"Hmm... Interesting. If you arrange it in a certain way, it displays a message. 'L, do you know? Gods of death love apples'. However, there are obvious print numbers on the back of the cards. Arrange them in that order and you get, 'L, do you know? Love apples, Gods of Death. But, I doubt that was how it was meant to be read." He leaned back, looking a little smug into the back of the booth.

"Actually, that was incorrect. There were four." L drew out another card, placing it on the table. "Add this and you get, 'L, do you know? Gods of Death who love apples have red hands'." This seemed to shock Light.

"But, I only had three photos to begin with. Given that, my deduction was perfect!"

"No. If you had guessed that there was a second photo, Light, then your deduction _would _have been perfect. Never thought of it, did you?" Raven asked, smirking. She thought she caught a slight glare from Light, and could have sworn his eyes flashed red for just a second, but he smiled falsely and crossed his arms.

"Guess you got me there. No, I never considered that there might be a fourth note. L's phone rang. He apologized and answered it. His eyes widened as Light's phone began to ring, as well as Raven's. _'Odd...' _She answered it, hearing the frantic voice of Matsuda.

"Calm down, Matsu, you're babbling."

"Ch-chief Yagami... He had a..." Her eyes widened along with L's and Light's.

"Cheif... Yagami..." She paled and looked up.

"Light, it's your..."

"My father..."

"Had a heart attack..." Raven finished, her eyes wide and her face as pale as the others around her.

* * *

"Please get some rest, Mr. Yagami. Relax and don't overwork yourself again for a while." He gave a weak smile, nodding gently.

"I will. Thanks for your concern. Goodbye." She nodded, following Light. They walked out to the car, waiting for them outside. She stood next to Light, waiting to leave.

"Please take good care of Mr. Yagami, Light," L got in the car, still speaking.

"I will. Oh, one more thing. I don't think I'll be able to do anything until my father's back to normal."

"Of course. That conversation in there between you and your father almost actually made me think that you might not be Kira." Light sighed.

"Ryuga- Ryuzaki, what can I do to prove my innocence to you and... Sorry, what was your name?"

"Raven. Just Raven, thanks," She avoided narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Just be patient, Light." Raven finally got into the car, realizing that they were about to leave. "Let things run their course and the truth will be revealed."

"But... What if you locked me up for a month, without access to information of criminals?"

"No, that's no good. We can't deprive you of basic human rights. Anyhow, it'd be stupid for the investigator to listen to the suspect." The suspect sighed again. "Don't worry Light. It will become apparent to us that you aren't Kira soon enough."

* * *

"Raven," L gestured another room. _'Oh, great. What did I do?' _She closed the door behind them.

"Yes?"

"I want you to take a day off. You have been working almost non-stop since..."

"I know. Save your breath, I'm not relaxing until Kira is caught."

"We've already had one member of the Task Force have a heart attack due to overworking. We don't need another."

"It's not that... Not just that I want Kira caught. I won't be able to rest until B's murderer is caught..." She looked at the floor. "Heh. I want to catch a murderer to avenge a murderer. Strange how that works."

"I suppose. But you've not slept in at least two days. You-"

"Why do you care!? Why do you care about my health? You probably haven't slept in months, yet you're concerned over me?"

"Raven, look at yourself. You haven't slept, barely eaten, you're overly emotional due to both lack of sleep and simply bottling up. It isn't -"

"Does it look like I really care, Ryu?" She looked up, revealing her eyes. The circles under them had grown darker, and they were lacking much of the light they used to carry.

"I know that Beyond was your friend. I know that you want to catch the one who killed him, and I know that you feel like you can't bring yourself to stop working until that is finished. As well as the fact that you feel you can't let your emotions get in the way of your work. But if you keep going like this,-"

"The sooner we catch Kira, the sooner I'll allow myself to rest. Kira isn't going to be caught by sitting in a room, talking about me," She left the room, leaving a sighing L behind. _'She can't keep going like this...'_

* * *

"Ryuzaki, something appears to be happening on Sakura TV." Raven turns on the TV, expecting another crappy show. She was shocked to hear the newscasters say that they were being held hostage.

"Hostage? By Kira?" _'This doesn't seem like something Kira would do...' _

"We are not airing this video for the purposes of sensationalism." Raven watched in confusion as the newscasters went on. "And now, the video." The screen turned white with a sloppy old english 'Kira' written in black in the middle. She narrowed her eyes.

"..." They cleared their throat. "I am Kira."

"As if that weren't obvious..." Raven muttered.

"If this tape is being aired on April eighteenth, at exactly five fifty-nine P.M, then it is fife fifty-nine forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine, please change it to channel thirty-six, newscaster Kazuhiko Hibima will die of a heart attack at exactly six o'clock." Her eyes widened. _'Kira... They couldn't have!' _She jumped as L shouted.

"Change it!" The channel turned and the viewers were greeted by a newscaster slumped backwards in his chair. A sick feeling of dread awoke in Raven. "...Please change it back. I need another TV, Watari. No, make it two." Watari nodded, leaving the room. Raven watched in chock as yet another newscaster was killed. _'This can't be the real Kira. It's... It doesn't seem like him... Could it be..? A fake? Or is my lack of sleep as of late getting to me? This can't be the real Kira.'_

"Now that you've seen proof of my powers, you should have no trouble believing that I am Kira." _'Why would Kira need to kill __newscasters__? Why not specified criminals or something?' _

"Stop this broadcast!" Raven flinched again at the urgent tone in L's voice. "We can't let him finish!"

"Matsuda! Aizawa! Call any numbers you can to make them stop this. Reception, employees, whatever!" She commanded. They nodded, fumbling for phones.

"No one's picking up!"

"Reception isn't working, either!" She groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. _'Sakura... Someone has to go to Sakura...' _Ukita ran across the room, flinging the door open.

"Damn it! I'll just go down there myself!"

"Ukita!" He ignored her and ran out the door. She bit her lip harshly. _'He's going to get himself killed...'_

"People of the world, please listen. The last thing I want to do is kill the innocent. I hate evil, and love justice." She grit her teeth together in frustration. She dove for the door, shouting for Ukita.

"Raven! No!" Matsuda grabbed her arm. She turned to him, glaring daggers at him.

"I can't just stay here while Ukita gets himself killed! Let go!"

"He's right, Raven. Going down there now may get you killed," L stated, holding his knees in anxiety over the situation.

"What about Ukita!?"

"He's already gone down there. We can't stop him now."

Kira went on about thinking of the police as allies while Raven calmed down slightly. _'Panicking will do no good. Calm down, Raven.'_ Aizawa, along with Matsuda, kept trying to call the Sakura station while Watari set up the TVs.

"Ukita..." She muttered as he arrived, pounding on the glass doors and demanding to be let in. Finaly, he pulled out his gun and aimed at the door. "Ukita!" He froze. His gun tumbled from his hands as he fell, collapsing onto the pavement.

"Ukita! No!" Aizawa slammed the phone down after catching sight of Ukita. He took off for the door.

"Mr. Aizawa. Where are you going?" Raven looked over at L, who had spoken, then at Aizawa , whop was already halfway to the door.

"Where do you think? I'm going down there!"

"You can't. Please, think about this rationally."

"What, you just want me to sit here and watch TV!?"

"Aizawa! If you go down there, you'll be killed as well. Weren't you _just _telling me not to go!?" He walked over the the couch L was sitting on.

"You told us that Kira couldn't kill without a name! How could this happen?"

"The aliases and fake IDs were worthless! What are we going to do? Could Kira have our names already?" Raven bit her lip.

"That is a possibility. However, if that's the case, you would think it's be easier for Kira to just kill off the entire Task Force. Initially, I had deduced that Kira needed a name and face to kill, however it doesn't seem impossible for Kira to only need a face. All I know for sure is that Kira is either in the building or somewhere around where he can watch anyone who enters the building. If-"

"If Kira is down there, isn't that all the more reason to go!?"

"No, Aizawa, they might just have surveillance cameras or something! It's not worth the risk, you could be killed," She reasoned while he glared at her.

"She's right. We could all be -" Aizawa rushed forward, grabbing L's shoulder.

"Wasn't it you that said we'd be risking our lives for this!?" Raven grew cold. Her hair fell into her blazing eyes as she spoke in a quiet and icy tone.

"He meant what he said, Aizawa. We are risking our lives for every moment we're here. Now, I suggest you let him go before you see a side of me you won't like very much," She murmured, not missing the shaking of the younger detective under Aizawa's grip, or the way L kept his head down, his expression unreadable. Aizawa glanced at Raven, his expression turning to one of shock when he realized both what he was doing, and just how angry he had truly made Raven.

"Please control yourself. We've lost Ukita. If something were to happen to you as well..."

"Now to wait for the police to decide if they want to help me create a better world," Kira spoke again, drawing everyone's attention. "Please announce the decision on the six o'clock news in four days. I have prepared two tapes. One to be aired if the answer is yes, another if the answer is no." A loud crash sounded from the other television. Raven's eyes widened as the police van went through the Sakura TV doors.

"Well, that's one way to get into the station without being seen by Kira."

Raven let out a shocked laugh. L had raised his head, allowing her a view of his face. _'Aizawa must have scared him a great deal... Of course he did... L was shaking...' _A police car arrived outside of the Sakura station.

"So we're not alone... There are still other officers who are willing to catch Kira..." Matsuda said quietly.

"Mr Aizawa, you have Deputy Director Kitamura's number, don't you?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Call him and give me the phone." Raven turned her attention back to the TV, just as the officers collapsed. She vaguely registered that L had spoken to Kitamura, and that Yagami had called him. _'Wait... Yagami!' _She looked back at L with wide eyes as he took the phone.

"Yes, it's me. So, you were the one driving the police van." _'Oh, thank goodness he's okay...' _"But what about your condition? Are you alright? … Please hold the line." He held the other phone up to his ear. "Deputy Director Kitamura. It was chief Yagami who drove into the building. Are your preperations complete?" He held up the other phone again. If the situation weren't as serious, Raven probably would have laughed at this. "Mr. Yagami. Listen carefully. In exactly five minutes I want you to come out the front entrance."

* * *

The door finally opened, after what had seemed like an eternity, revealing a very tired Yagami leaning against Watari.

"Chief!" She felt a wave of relief wash over her. He handed L a bag.

"These are all of the tapes. I think I'd better rest for a while."

"That would probably be best. This will not go to waste, Yagami." Raven joined L's side as he handed the bag to Aizawa.

"Please take this to the crime lab right away."

Aizawa nodded, taking the bag and quickly left the room.


	10. Chapter 10: Frighten

**AN**

**Hey geeks! Sorry for not updating yesterday! My internet has been really wacky lately, and I had an idea for another fic and wrote that down instead. To be honest, I'm losing a little inspiration for this story. Don't worry! I'm not abandoning it! I don't know if I'm gonna post the other one (Probably, maybe, I don't know), but anyway, here's chapter 10! I fiddled with the timeline a bit, so uh... Yeah. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

* * *

Raven sighed. She had spent the entire night watching and re-watching the tapes next to L. She made herself yet another cup of coffee. The Task Force walked into the room as she sat down again, warming her hands on the cup.

"Well, what do you make of them?" Yagami asked.

"They're interesting, all right. If the answer is yes, the third tape is to be aired. If it's no, the fourth tape. In either case, L's supposed to show up on TV, publicly announcing his answer. No request for his name..."

Raven sighed again, downing nearly half of the coffee in one go. "Quite interesting, really. None of what Kira has been doing recently seems to fit his profile. Wouldn't he need L's name to kill him? I mean, it's obvious, whether we say yes or no, he wants to be able to kill L at a moments notice if he does anything. However, he doesn't have his name... Does he?" She though aloud, earning a couple of odd looks. "Sorry," She mumbled.

"No, that's right. Why would he need my face, but not my name? And anyway, I would be quite annoyed to be killed by the first person to jump onto the Kira bandwagon." Raven nodded.

"Kira bandwagon? What do you mean?"

"There is a large possibility of this being the work of a false Kira. No, we should think of this as more of a second Kira."

"A-a Second Kira?" Matsuda's brow furrowed.

"Yes, Matsu. Didn't you notice the strange behavior? Why would Kira kill newscasters, when he could just kill specified criminals or something? On TV? The criminals they did kill were only ever reported in magazines and daytime talk shows. As well as the fact that this Kira only seemed to need a face, jujudging by the fact that he killed Ukita and those other two police officers without hesitation, or it seems, a name."

"Exactly."

* * *

"You're not showing your face," She stated simply, sitting in a chair nearby.

"Of course not."

"How are we going to-" She paused and smiled. "I have an idea."

"Being?"

"We send a message to the second Kira, posing as the real."

"I was thinking the same thing." She gave a small laugh.

"Heh. Great minds think alike, even when sleep deprived, huh?"

"I suppose." Her smile fell.

"...Don't look at me like that. You know my reasons for working so hard."

"I do know, Raven. But I doubt that Beyond wo-"

"Uh... Sh- should we leave, or..?" Raven resisted the urge to glare at Matsuda.

* * *

"_**Beyond? How...?"**_

"_**Watch him. Don't let him leave your sight."**_

"_**Who? Why is it so dark? Where are w-"**_

"_**You're asking the wrong questions. Watch him." He stepped forward, touching her face with a small smile.**_

"_**Who? Beyond, what do you mean?" His face soured slightly before returning to its unusually soft expression.**_

"_**Kira. Watch him." He moved forward, wrapping her up in a surprisingly tight hug. He faded away, into the darkness, his tight hold on her vanishing.**_

_**"Beyond... Wait..."**_

* * *

"Be- Beyond?" She sat up, glancing around the dark room. _'Oh... Right...' _She glanced at the clock, realizing it was nearly dawn. _'L said I should get some sleep. Got around seven hours. That should keep him happy for now.' _She got out of the bed, stumbling tiredly into the hall.

"Raven."

"Wha- Yeah?" She avoided snapping at the detective, crouching in a chair.

"Nothing. Did you sleep well?"

"Surprisingly, yep." _'Well, this isn't awkward or anything.' _

"Happy birthday, Raven."

"Eh, thanks. Didn't know you kept track."

"It's Raven's birthday!?" Matsuda grinned.

"Yeah. Let's not make a huge fuss about it."

"Aww," He sank back into his chair. She received a happy birthday from the Task Force, much to her embarrassment. "So how old are you now?"

"Pff. Not a kid, Matsu. Anyway, twenty-one," She answered, looking over at him. He grinned again.

"Really? You're younger than any of us, then! Yet you're almost, if not as smart as L- Ryuzaki!" She smiled at the compliment, plopping down into a chair, coffee in hand.

"Eh, I doubt that. But thanks anyway. Now, enough about my birthday. We've got work to do."

* * *

"I can only say, it's a shame that your answer was no. It's clear that the police wish to oppose me. This will not go unpunished." Raven watched the screen that Kira's message was displayed, replaying the words at the same time in her head. "I will start by either taking the life of the Director General of the NPA, or the detective known as L, who is currently leading the investigation against me."

"Sure ya will." She muttered.

"The Director General, or L. Who will be the price for your refusal to cooperate in the creation of a peaceful world? You have four days to decide." Raven sighed as the tape finished.

* * *

"I'm Aihara."

"Matsui."

"Raven."

"Asahi."

"So... I suppose I should call myself Light Asahi?"

"Yes. But to keep things simple, I'll just call you Light."

"That's fine. Ryuzaki, who is this? I've seen her before, but I don't think we've ever actually met."

"As I said before, I'm Raven. I've been a friend of Ryu's for a while, and he asked me to join the investigation, so here I am."

"I see. It's nice to meet you," He held out a hand which Raven shook.

"Likewise." The air between them was slightly tense. Raven knew that Light thought of her as a threat, otherwise he would be acting differently. No one else seemed to notice this as their hands dropped to their sides again.

"I'd like you to view some tapes and tell me what you think." L lead Light into another room, the Task Force trailing behind them. Raven watched Light's reaction closely as he finished watching them.

"Very interesting."

"Yes. We were planning to send a tape back, posing as the real Kira. I'd like you to do that." Light's eyes widened slightly.

"You want me to...?"

"Write a script to send to Sakura TV posing as the real Kira. Yes. I think you'd do well."

"Well, alright. It may take a while," He laughed.

"If possible, please have it done before six o'clock tonight." Light nodded.

* * *

"Well, Ryuzaki, here you go." L took the script, reading it carefully.

"Excellent. However, if we don't omit the part that says 'you're free to kill L,' I'll be killed." Light sat back in a chair, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back. He smiled calmly as he noticed Raven's eyes narrow.

"Ah, sure. I was thinking of what Kira would say. I was improvising. Feel free to change it to whatever you want."

* * *

"Ryuzaki, we've received a reply," Watari announced, walking into the room, holding out a bag.

"Already?" Raven asked. _'That was fast.' _L took the tape and stuffed it into the machine, watching it closely.

"Kira. Thank you for your reply. I agree with what you are doing and will do what you say. When we meet, we can confirm our identities by showing our Shinigami to each other." Raven paled, her eyes widening. A pale hand shot up into her face, making her stumble and fall backwards as a bloodcurdling scream arose from the usually emotionless detective as his chair turned over and he toppled to the floor.

"Shit! Ryu!" Raven crawled over to him as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Sh- Shinigami... Are we supposed to believe that Shinigami actually exist...?" Raven gave a sigh of relief upon seeing the detective alright before registering what he had said. Matsuda knelt down beside her, giving L a strange look.

"D- don't scare me like that, you idiot! Damn... I d-don't know..." She stuttered, inwardly swearing for doing so. "Maybe it's a code or something. Calm down, Ryu..." He looked over at her slowly before taking a breath and standing up.

"Yes, I suppose you could be right. After all, Shinigami don't exist..." He set the chair back onto its feet before crouching into it again, as though Raven and he had not nearly had heart attacks a moment before. Raven stood, still a little pale, ignoring Matsuda's offer to help her up.

"Jeez..." She muttered.

"I apologize for scaring you all like that," L mumbled. Raven sighed and glanced around the room. She thought she saw Light's eyes flash red for a second before dismissing it as just her mind playing tricks on her.


	11. Chapter 11: Confinement

**AN**

**OKAY. I'm really sorry I haven't updates in two days! I've been... Busy. Well, not really. I'll try to update on a more regular basis. Anyway, I got another follow! Thank you guys! Also, I'm considering posting the fanfic I've been working on instead of Raven. I dunno, should I? Anyhow, on with the story!**

**I do not own Death Note.**

* * *

Raven had found herself getting lost in a muddle of thoughts on the Kira case. She had paid enough attention to the second Kira to know that they had sent a diary, and that she, Light, and Matsuda were going to Aoyama on the twenty-second to investigate.

* * *

"Wow, Raven. You look... Different. Not in a bad way, just... Different." She rolled her eyes at Matsuda, walking out into the room. She had worn contact lenses, changing her icy blue eyes to a dark brown, her hair had been temporarily dyed black and thrown into a messy pony tail. The bags under her eyes had been covered. Instead of her usual t-shirt and dark jeans, she wore a bright blue sleeveless shirt, denim jacket, and regular bright shorts. She groaned, blinking to try to get used to the feeling of the contacts.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go already." Light smiled, gesturing toward the door.

* * *

"Hey, Light? Uhh... -" Matsuda started.

"Oh, guys, this is my cousin, Taro, along with his friend Rei." Raven forced a slight smile, waving awkwardly at the group of teens around her. "Heh, also, they're both looking for girlfriends. Any volunteers?" The group laughed while Matsuda blushed.

"Light, did you just call me gay?" She smirked at him while the group laughed harder, this time with the two undercover detectives joining in. *****

* * *

"That was exhausting," Raven announced, immediately going to take the contacts out of her eyes and wash her face.

"I'm sure no one ever thought that a couple of cops were walking around with them! You were great, Raven!" She smiled at Matsuda's comment, drying her face with a towel.

"Thanks. You weren't bad either." She undid her hair, letting the now black strands frame her face. "Oi, Ryu, if I ever need to hide my appearance for a case again, I'm not wearing contacts. Stupid things are uncomfortable!" She thought she caught a small smile before he turned away.

* * *

"Hair... Snack crumbs... Oh, another hair. Yagami, if I die in the next few days, your son is Kira." Yagami turned, shocked.

"What? What do you mean!?"

"Yeah! What are you talking about, anyway!?" Matsuda asked, standing. Raven sighed, leaning back into the couch.

"If I die in the next few days, I've asked Watari to make himself available to you. I'm counting on the team..."

"Ryuzaki, you said that my son was almost cleared, now this!? Honestly, how much do you suspect him?"

"Mmm, to be honest, I don't know what to think anymore. If Kira and the second Kira are working together, things are not looking good for me. I may not be thinking as clearly as usual... But still, if something happens to me in the next few days, your son is Kira."

* * *

"Misa Amane... Oh, her. I've seen her on a few magazines. I think she's an actress, as well."

"I see. I'm going to To-Oh again today, would you like to come?"

"Do you even have to ask, Ryu?"

"I suppose not."

"Also, you've been really nice to me for the last few days. I'm getting a little suspicious," She said, smiling as he stood. His shoulders slumped over and his hands were shoved into his pockets.

"There's no reason to be. Anyway, let's be off." She narrowed her eyes playfully, following him out the door.

* * *

"Hah, I wouldn't say that. I just know how to get by, that's all." Raven looked up, watching Light closely as he walked over, speaking with someone Raven had never seen.

"Hey, Light! How's it going?" She smirked slightly as Light walked up, a flash of surprise quickly covered up by a friendly expression.

"Oh, uh, I need a moment alone with them. Maybe I'll see you later?" The woman at Light's side gave Raven a small glare before walking off.

"I hope she's not upset."

"She'll be fine. Uh, Ryuzaki, are you sure it's okay to be out here? I mean..."

"I realized that as long as you aren't Kira, I'd be safe. As long as it doesn't kill you, college is actually a lot of fun," L stated, standing and mentioning something about craving shortcake that Raven didn't quite catch as they started walking.

"Light!" Their attention was quickly drawn to a familiar blonde running over to them. "Light! There you are! I had a shoot nearby, so I came to see you! Oh, who are your friends? Wow, they're... So unique! I'm Misa Amane, Light's girlfriend!" Raven allowed herself a small smile while L chuckled softly, staring at Light and Misa with a thumb on his lips.

"Light..." He paused. Raven noticed a certain tense atmosphere around the two in front of her. "You're a lucky guy." They seemed to relax somewhat as Raven's smile grew. "I've been a fan of yours over since the August issue of eighteen."

"Aww! Thanks!" Misa beamed as a small crowd formed around them. "No way! Somebody just touched my butt!" Raven smiled as L began storming around ridiculously, saying he would catch whoever had done it. "Ryuga, you're so funny!" Misa giggled. Raven looked over, watching as a woman appeared, asking if Misa wanted to be late.

"Uh, oh, no, sorry Yoshi! I'll see you later Light!" She called, waving to them as she followed the older woman. The crowd dissipated, leaving L, Light, and Raven behind.

"She seemed nice. Anyway, weren't you guys saying something about getting shortcake?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll catch up with you guys in a minute." He smiled as they started to walk off, taking a phone out of his pocket. Raven looked over as a phone began to ring.

"Hello?" They waited.

"What do you mean, hello?" Raven turned around, holding in a smirk as Light walked up to them.

"Light, is that you?"

"Yeah. That's Misa's phone. I'll give it back to her."

"I understand. Yeah, that makes sense," He turned, handing the phone to Light. L's real phone began to ring as Light turned away.

"Hello? Oh. I see... So, it's... Done then? Alright." He turned, snapping the phone shut. "Light, I don't exactly know how you'll react to this, but regarding Misa Amane, she's been taken into custody under suspicion of being Kira."

* * *

"Ryu... I get that she's a suspect, but... Don't you think this is going a little far...?" She stared at the screen, her face a little paler than usual as the Task Force walked in.

"Ryuzaki! What's the meaning of this!?" Yagami demanded, watching the screen wide eyed.

"I've apprehended her on suspicion of being the second Kira, I'm afraid this is necessary."

"Chances are, Amane is guilty. There seems to be enough evidence to convict her..."

"Yes. Now, we need a confession. We need to know how she kills, if she knows Kira, and if so, who he really is." _'I understand why he's doing this, but...' _Raven bit her lip. L leaned closer to a microphone. "Watari, take the necessary precautions, but other than that, do whatever needs to be done. Just make her speak." That was all Raven needed to hear. She left the room, feeling sick and a little lightheaded. _'He's... Holy shit, he's going to...' _She sat on her bed, holding back a sick feeling.

* * *

"Ryuzaki, Amane is talking." Raven turned, looking at the screen as L launched himself onto the couch, listening closely as the girl on the screen whimpered.

"I... I can't take this anymore. Kill me."

"This was all too much for her to take, Ryu..." Raven watched, pale, as the blonde continued.

"You can at any time, couldn't you? Please, just kill me..."

"Raven's right. This was all too much..." Aizawa murmured. Raven closed her eyes as Amane went on.

"Does this mean you admit to being the second Kira? Is this the reason you wish to die?" L asked her, his voice distorted through the speakers.

"No, no I don't know anything about the second Kira... Please, just kill me," she whimpered. There was a pause. "no, no, just kill _me_. You can't... No, just kill me... If you won't kill me, then..." She opened her mouth, preparing to bite down hard.

"Watari! Don't let her bite her tongue!" Watari appeared behind her, quickly placing a gag in her mouth. Raven turned her attention to the floor, placing her hand over her mouth in an attempt to not start shouting at L. "... Is it possible that this could be the work of Kira, controlling her actions before death?" She took her hand from her mouth, looking back up at L.

"Or, you know, you fucking genius, this may be the work of the fucking torture." The Task Force looked back at Amane, who had fallen unconscious. Raven watched a tear escape from the blindfold and roll down her face. She looked down at the floor again.

* * *

"Uh... Mister stalker? D- do you think we could stop playing this game?" _'Stalker? What...?' _Raven looked up. "Mister stalker, this is illegal. Y- you have to stop..."

"Stalker?" Raven murmured, confused.

"Okay... How about you take off my blindfold? It'd be nice to see what you look like..."

"Matsuda, give Mogi a call, then hand me the phone," L ordered, holding out a hand. Matsuda grunted, pressing a few buttons before giving it to L.

"Mogi, when you arrested Amane, you made it clear that she was under suspicion of being Kira, right?" Raven looked back at the screen.

"I- I know! I could give you a kiss on the cheek if you want! I won't run away, I promise!" The sick feeling returned to Raven, but she didn't look away. _'Does she think she's been kidnapped or something? Before she fell unconscious, she barely said a word other than asking for us to kill her...'_

"Does she really think she can get out of this by playing dumb?" Matsuda asked.

"Misa Amane."

"What's that, mister stalker? Are you planning to release me?"

"Before you passed out, you barely spoke. You even asked me to kill you. Now you're claiming ignorance?"

"I- I don't understand, you're the one who knocked me out and brought me here, right? Wait, is this some sort of Misa Amane interrogation fantasy?"

"Do you know why I'm detaining you here? You must have some idea."

"Ryuzaki, I don't think she does... This doesn't seem like an act to me," Raven's words went ignored as Amane spoke.

"What do you mean? Because I'm a celebrity, of course! But you're the first stalker to ever go this far... You're starting to scare me..." Matsuda dove forward, grabbing the microphone.

"Hey, Amane, no one's buying this so cut it out!" Raven stood quickly, finally having enough.

"Don't you see, you idiots!? She has no fucking idea of where she is or what's going on! I... I don't know how, but she doesn't! Yelling at her will do no good if she really doesn't know! This doesn't seem like an act to me!"

"Oh, this is scary... I can't take it anymore! Please let me go! Y- you have to let me go! I- I have to go to the bathroom again!"

"It's only been four minutes since you last went to the bathroom. I'm afraid you'll have to hold it."

"But... You have t

* * *

oo! It's the only time you'll untie me and let me move! Plus, you can watch! Isn't that what you want, you pervert!?"

"I'm a... Pervert?" L muttered. Raven sighed, knowing that her protests would probably go ignored, and went back to her room. She slammed the door behind her. _'I don't think I can stand this anymore. It's just... This isn't an act. I know it... I don't know what changed, but... She's... Innocent, now. Somehow. I don't understand what's going on...'_

"R- Raven?" She sighed.

"Come in, Matsuda." He opened the door.

"Uh, hi."

"What is it?"

"Well... Light's going into confinement..." She sat up, watching him with wide eyes.

"Confinement? What do you mean?"

"He came in saying that he may be Kira. He said he wanted to be confined for a while, I just thought I'd tell you."

"I see... How's Amane?"

"Same as earlier. She still thinks L- Ryuzaki's a stalker."

"I'm sorry I stormed out. I just... I couldn't take it anymore. I- I don't know how, but something's changed about her... She's... I don't know, innocent? Her treatment this whole time has made me sick."

"Yeah, I'm getting the same feeling..."

"Do we know how long they'll be confined for?"

"No."

"I see... Thanks for telling me." She sighed after he left the room, closing the door softly behind him. _'I just don't understand... Does she not remember or something? This is all so confusing...'_

* * *

**_* -_**** There is nothing wrong with being gay, just in case anyone thought that this was a homophobic comment or considered as an insult. Just thought that I'd mention.**


	12. Chapter 12: Release

**AN**

**Hello, fellow geeks! ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! Here's another chapter!**

**Me: Disclaimer! Someone! Ermm... L?**

**L: Cake.**

**Me: No way! **

**L: Well, I'd best be o-**

**Me: (Throws cake at L) There!**

**L: (catches the cake with one hand, turns to audience.) ObviouslyADeathNoteFan doesn't own Death Note.**

* * *

"Light?" She asked, walking up to the metal bars.

"Oh, Raven?"

"Yeah. It's me. I brought you some stuff..."

"I see." She smiled a little sadly, opening the door. "Thanks."

"Nah, it's no trouble..."

"Is something wrong?" He moved into a sitting position, watching her as she sat beside him.

"Well... This whole thing, really. I'll support Ryu, always have, always will, but... This is just... I guess, I'm sorry for you. Putting you all through this, for something I don't feel is true." _'Anymore.' _

"Yeah. Thanks, again. But, it's usually Watari who brings me food."

"Ah, got permission from Ryu. I also wanted to talk to you, even if we are monitored by that idiot," She said, sighing, looking over at the camera, making a face. Light chuckled.

"You guys really are childish, huh?"

"Yup."

"So, what was it you wanted to ask me? I'm actually not particularly hungry."

"I see," She began, setting the tray down in front of her. "I... Well, please don't get upset with me for asking, but... Do you think you could be Kira?" He scowled down at the ground.

"That's why I'm in here, isn't it? I thought I may be Kira."

"... Why exactly? I wasn't in the room at the time."

"I've found myself thinking that some criminals deserve to die. If I think like Kira, how can I be sure I couldn't be him? It's all been me. I was the first person in the Kanto region that the alleged second Kira, Misa Amane, came to see. Raye Penber was investigating me and my family, then he dies, along with all of the other FBI agents?"

"That doesn't necessarily mean that you are Kira."

"I know. I asked that L- Ryuzaki not release me until he was absolutely sure that I'm not Kira..."

"I see..." Light chuckled again.

"You say that a lot." She smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I don't think that you are Kira." _'I don't. Not anymore. However, if he is Kira, maybe he'll think I'm on his side. What am I thinking!? He's not Kira. He's innocent. But...'_

"Thanks. Now if only you could convince Ryuzaki of that, I may go free," He sighed, looking at the floor.

"Maybe..."

* * *

"Ryu, it's already been over fifty days. Criminals have started dying again, criminals that neither of our suspects have knowledge of. Just let them out already!"

"She's right, Ryuzaki. With all due respect, it's starting to seem like you're just keeping them here because you don't want to admit you were wrong." Raven could tell that Aizawa was getting just as, if not more, worked up about this as she was.

"Yes, I figured you'd say that," L drawled. He scooped up a bit of ice cream from the bowl in front of him, licking it off of his fingers.

"... Okay, fine! But we do know that Kira killed Lind L. Tailor and those FBI agents! Like Light said, if Kira can kill while under surveillance and without access to information -"

"Than he wouldn't have needed to worry about them," Raven finished.

"Yeah! Kira doesn't kill without good reason. I've heard you say so yourself on more than one occasion, Ryuzaki!"

"Oh, I see, if he had been able to kill under these circumstances, he wouldn't have been concerned over those FBI agents in the first place." Matsuda walked over, joining in on the conversation.

"Exactly. Anyway, Ryu, it's time to let them out." His hand paused over the bowl, before he stopped, pulling his hand away.

"... Yes, I understand."

* * *

"It's all yours, chief. Raven."

"Thanks, Aizawa. Light, Misa, get in." They looked at her and Yagami in confusion. She opened the door with a hard expression. They obeyed, still looking tense. Raven, when out of sight of the suspects, bit her lip. _'I'm so sorry...' _She got in the passenger side, waiting for Yagami to drive off.

"I was starting to think I'd never get out of there," Light said, sighing. "Feels good to finally be cleared."

"No. You're not being cleared. You're being taken to your executions," Raven said, not turning. She had swallowed her guilt and replaced it with a hard mask, which she wasn't going to take off until after this was all over. Her job, in case the two were actually Kira, was to jump in if anything happened. The second Kira only needed a face. Neither knew her name. If the chief and her died, they would confirm that both of the killers were in that car. Cries of fear and disbelief rose from behind her, though she still didn't turn around.

"I wanted to be the one to escort you to the execution sight. It was secretly built in an underground facility not far from here."

"L is convinced that you two are both Kira. He is convinced that the only way to stop the murders is to kill the both of you."

"Dad, R- Raven, I... I'm not Kira! You said so yourself!"

"Shut up, Light. You are Kira, along with Amane."

"But... I don't understand! The killings have already stopped!"

"No, Light. The killings never stopped." He gaped at her along with Misa.

"N- no! That's not what L told me! So... He was lying!?"

"Yes. He wanted a confession. But at this point, Kira, that's not the problem. It's political now. L's suggestion that the killings would stop if you two were killed was accepted by top officials in the UN and the Japanese government. They want Kira do vanish. No trial or publicity," Yagami stated, staring straight ahead at the road.

"That's insane!"

"Yeah! I don't even know who you people are! But what kind of father are you, anyway!? This is your own son!"

"This was L's decision. Not ours. His word is absolute. He's tackled even the hardest cases, never making a wrong assumptio-"

"He's wrong!"

"No, Light. He isn't."

"You'd trust him over me, your own son?" Light narrowed his eyes slightly, watching his father.

"If the killings don't stop, he too will be executed." Light's eyes widened.

"W- what is he thinking!? I know that given the material evidence, this may seem like the only logical solution, but he's making a mistake! How could L come to this conclusion!? Something's not right! This- this isn't like L at all! The L I know would rely on hard evidence! He has to have the truth! Is he really planning to end it like this!?"

"We're almost there." The car veered off of the street, taking a dirt road. They bounced along the track, the suspects grunting slightly as they went along. They skidded to a stop in the middle of nowhere.

"W- where are we...?"

"Wait! I think they brought us here to let us go!"

"Chief, I think this will do. There's no one around for miles." The two in front finally turned.

"Light, listen to me. I'm going to kill you here, and then kill myself." Light leaned back, horror forming on his face.

"Dad! What are you talking about!? You can't, that's crazy!"

"You'd kill your only son for L!? How can you even say that!? If you do this, you're no different from Kira!"

"I am nothing like Kira! I am bound by my responsibilities as a parent, and as chief of the NPA."

"What about Raven!? What's she here for!?"

"I'm here for the same reason as the chief. Now shut up, Kira!" She snarled.

"No! Don't do this! Misa's right, dad! You-"

"It's too late." He nodded to Raven, pulling out a gun. She mimicked his actions, pointing it at Amane. She leaned back, eyes wide, clearly terrified. "Either way, you'll be executed. At least this way, I'll be the one to do it."

"Please stop, dad! I'm not Kira! If you do this, Kira will win!"

"You're wrong, Light. If we do this, Kira dies." They pulled back the hammers of the guns, two loud clicks seeming to echo in the small space of the car.

"Please, stop this!" They leaned closer in, prepared to fire. Raven gave Yagami a glance.

"Light, my son. From one murderer to another, I'll see you in hell."

"Goodbye, Kira."

"NO! STOP IT!"

_**BA-BANG!**_

Silence.

The suspects flew back against the seats, eyes wide and very much alive.

"Y-you... You both used blanks..." The two in front slumped back into their seats, sighing in a massive wave of relief.

"Light... Misa, I'm so sorry..." Raven murmured, turning back to them.

"What is going on!?"

"Ryu, did you see? Me and the chief are still alive. We're fine."

"Yes. It was a convincing performance. If Amane were the second Kira, who only needs a persons face, you'd both be dead. And, if Light is Kira, I have no doubt that he would kill even his own father to save himself. Although, with Light, I cannot rule out the possibility of him seeing through our act, however as we agreed, I will end their confinement immediately." Raven looked back at the camera, listening to L's voice with a relieved sigh.

"That was the whole reason I agreed to this, Light. I knew that you, and Amane, are innocent." _'Now...'_

"Anyway. As we discussed, Amane will remain under surveillance until Kira is apprehended. Although she claims that the tapes we found were just occult videos, the physical evidence and her confession suggest otherwise."

"Hey, no fair! You still suspect me!?"

"I'm sorry, Amane, but yeah. I agree that you are much more likely to be the second Kira than Light is to being the real one. We do have physical evidence, plus your confession. The way you were being treated, however, was enough to get you out as well, for me. I-"

"I'm not the second Kira!"

"If you'd let me finish, you'd know that I do not actually suspect you. That was also part of the reason I agreed to do this along with Yagami. Even in the beginning, I firmly believed that you were innocent." _'Starting on the third day, that is.' _

"Oh..."

"Anyhow, as for your part in this agreement, Light, you will be with me twenty-four seven. And that is how we will remain until Kira is brought to justice." Light paused, before smiling at the camera, knowing that L could see him.

"Fine by me. We'll catch Kira. Together."

"Yes. I look forward to working with you."

* * *

"Are you sure that's really necessary, Ryu? I mean..." Raven started.

"This is as hard for me as it is for Light. I'm not doing this because I want to."

"Unless you are," Raven muttered, smirking slightly.

"I heard that." Her smirk widened.

"Looking at you I never would've guessed. Are you on _that_ side of the fence, Ryuzaki?" Raven laughed along with Misa, actually a little surprised at doing so.

"As I said before, I'm not doing this because I want to."

"Unless you are," Raven murmured again, receiving a glare from L, making her stifle a laugh.

"But Light belongs to me! I don't wanna share him with you!"

"Misa, Light doesn't 'belong' to you. Light is human. He isn't something to be owned by anyone. Anyhow, I don't think that either of them are 'on that side of the fence',"She said, grinning, imitating the gesture Misa had made as the other girl glared at her.

"Anyway! If you two are together twenty-four hours a day, how are we supposed to go on dates together!?"

"I suppose it'll have to be the three of us."

"Or four, if I wanna make sure that you two don't kill each other," Raven added.

"Ugh! No way! Are you saying that we have to kiss in front of you and stuff!?"

"I'm not telling you to do anything. But, yes, I suppose I would be watching."

"Gross! You really _are _a pervert, aren't you!?"

"Light, please make Misa shut up now..." Raven and L glanced at each other, having said the same thing at the same time.

"Listen, Misa. That's enough. The police have already established that it was you who sent the tapes, so you're lucky to even be here right now. They have every right to keep you in priso-"

"Huh!? How could you even say that, Light!? In case you've forgotten, I'm your girlfriend, remember!? Don't you trust your own soul mate?" Raven rolled her eyes. _'Is Light seriously going out with her...?' _

"Soul mate? You said you were the one who fell in love with me at first sight, Misa." Misa gasped, her hair seeming to rise on end. Raven burst out laughing at this as Misa ranted.

"So why did you kiss me if you didn't have feelings for me!? You'd take advantage of me!? _Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid_!"

"Misa, this love at first sight. You say it happened on May twenty-second at Aoyama, right?" She stopped hammering Light's chest and turned to Raven, glaring at her.

"Yeah! So what!?"

"Do you remember what you did or what you were wearing?"

"No! I don't! When do I need a reason to go to Aoyama, huh!?"

"So, when you came back, you knew that you had fallen in love with some guy named Light Yagami?"

"Yeah!"

"And you don't know _how _you got his name?" Misa leaned into her face, Raven's eyes narrowing greatly.

"Yeah! So what!?"

"If Light was Kira, how would you feel?" L spoke up, preventing a possible fight, most likely ending with an injured Misa and an indifferent Raven.

"If Light was Kira...?"

"Yes." Misa ran over to Light, holding his arm tightly and rubbing her face on it. She reminded Raven of a cat, nuzzling its owner.

"Oh, that'd be wonderful!"

"You wouldn't think it at all frightening?" Raven asked.

"Light? Scary? Of course not! I've always been grateful to Kira for killing the man who murdered my parents, so that would be sort of like a bonus for me! I'd think of the best way to help!" Raven glanced at L, who looked back at her. She remembered seeing on the news that the man who had killed her own parents had died of a sudden, inexplicable heart attack. She was, however, still against Kira, and L knew that.

"You've just made it so obvious that you are the second Kira, I don't even want to believe it," L muttered, staring at her.

"Well whatever! I'm not the second Kira!"

"You know, Misa, my parents murderer was also killed by Kira. But I'm still working to catch Kira and bring him to justice." Misa's eyes widened slightly.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Anyway, Misa, you will remain under surveillance. If you need to go outside, we will remain in contact through this rooms extensions. Your life will, for the most part, return to normal. From now on, for all private and work-related affairs, Matsuda will be accompanying you as your new manager, Matsui. Don't blow his cover."

"This old guy's my manager!?" She scoffed.

"Oi, back off. Matsuda's awesome," Raven defended and smiled, looking back at Mastuda. Until he heard Raven's comment, he, once again, looked like a sad puppy.

"Aww, what's wrong with me, MisaMisa? Is it the tie? I can get rid of the tie-"

"Will you cut it out with all of this dating talk and MisaMisa crap!? This is the Kira investigation! Stop messing around!" They were all startled into silence, turning their attention to a fuming Aizawa.

"Sorry, Aizawa..." Matsuda mumbled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"No, it's alright. I think I just figured out what the problem is." He shoved Misa out of the room.

"Hey, Light! Let's go on a date, even if it is the three of us!"

"Four!" The door slammed shut. Aizawa turned back to the Task Force, looking a little less annoyed. "No way am I leaving you three alone. A fight'll break out before you can say 'Kira'," She grumbled, turning back to the Task Force.

"So, Light, are you serious about her?" L turned to Light.

"No way. It's completely one-sided."

"Then could you at least pretend for the sake of the investigation? There are two things I know about Amane for sure. For one, she's involved in this, and two," He chuckled "she's in love with you." Raven turned upon hearing this, her expression hardening slightly.

"You want me to get intimate with her to gather information on the second Kira?"

"Yes, I think you could pull it off. Amane would definitely be a valuable source of information for us. Not to mention, this is the main reason I decided to release the two of you."

"Ryuzaki, as much as I want to help you, and as much as the Kira case means to me, I can't manipulate a woman's feelings like that."

A silence.

"Ryu? Is something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I'm fine. I suppose you're right after all, Light. However, considering Misa will have a lot of contact with the public, it would be wise to make sure she doesn't leek any information."

"Matsuda will be with her when she goes out. If he can't, I can go with her." Raven suggested, walking over to the two chained together.

"Hmm. By the way, Ryuzaki, do you think we could come up with some sort of alternative to switching hotels every few days?"

"Yes. In fact, I had the very same thought earlier on. And so," He pulled light over a laptop, turning it on. "I've had a facility built. Construction started just after my first meeting with Yagami and the others. It should be finished in a few days. Ah, here it is." An image popped up as the Task Force gathered around the laptop.

"Woah..." Raven murmured.

"Twenty-three floors above ground, and two below. Although it's impossible to see from the outside, there are two helicopters on the roof. Ideally, I want the Task Force to spend as much time as possible here. If the investigation team grows, we can accommodate up to sixty people. Misa shouldn't have any complaints, since she has her own floor, as does Raven." Raven looked up.

"...Thanks..."

"This is truly impressive. But to go to such lengths..." Light muttered, cupping his chin with his hand.

"Hold on, where did you get the finances to build this thing!?" Matsuda asked.

"As you can see, it is my intention to solve this case, no matter the cost. That's how it is."

"I'm sorry, but how is that an answer?" Raven smiled, looking up at Aizawa.

"No, he's right. The mass killings are bad enough, but personally, I'll never forgive Kira for putting my father and I through this. I wanna solve this case, no matter what," Light interrupted.

"If you're serious about that, then you should get close to Amane," L stated, not looking up.

"I can't. That goes against my principles."

"Right. You said that. What a shame..." She glanced back at L, then to the computer again. She looked back up when Aizawa made some sort of noise.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I'm just feeling really motivated right now, chief." He smiled, actually slightly surprising Raven. "Ryuzaki, Raven, chief Yagami, Light, let's get out of here and bring Kira to justice."

"Uhh, I couldn't help but notice you missed my name..." Matsuda said dejectedly.

"Come on, Matsuda. Let's get out of here and bring Kira to justice!" Raven announced, turning to Matsuda with a smile. He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling.


	13. Chapter 13: Fight

**AN**

**Ack! I'm really sorry I haven't updated! Also, I won't be able to update tomorrow and possibly the next day. **

**Hello, once again, fellow geeks! It is I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! (is that just my catchphrase now?) Anyway, Raven has broken a thousand views! I'm so happy! _Reviews_ are appreciated. XD**

**NOTE: It's nearly 2:30 AM, so if you notice any spelling or grammar mistakes, point it out and I'll fix it. Thanks for reading! (I don't even know if anyone actually reads these things other than me.)**

**Me: Disclaimer? Yo, Soichiro! **

**Soichiro Yagami: I don't see why not. ObviouslyADeathNoteFan does not own Death Note. Only her OC, Raven.**

* * *

"Man... This has gotta be the lamest date I've ever been on," Misa complained, still glaring at Raven.

"Please, just pretend we're not even here," L cut in, taking another piece of cake.

"Ugh! Why is _she _here!?"

"Misa... I understand if you don't want me around. If you want me to leave, I will. I'm sorry for what I did, but you must understand that I needed to in order to get you out. I'm sorry..." Raven looked down at the table. Upon seeing Raven's expression of guilt, sorrow, and a little sadness, Misa backed off.

"No, I _guess _you can stay... But I wish that Ryuzaki would leave!"

"Even if I did, we'd still be watching on surveillance cameras. So it wouldn't really make a difference either way."

"Ugh! Pervert! Will you quit it with your creepy hobby!?"

"Call me what you want. Can I have your cake?" She made a face, nodding.

"Cake makes you fat, I'm not gonna eat any." Raven smiled, looking down at her own cake. She and L glanced at each other, before both spoke.

"Actually, we find that you don't gain any weight if you burn calories by using your brain." Light looked at them, both slightly creeped out and surprised. Raven smiled.

"Are you _both _calling me stupid!?"

"We said no such thing," Raven said, grinning. She took a bite of her cake, looking at the detective opposite her. "Ryu, is something wrong? You look... Down."

"Actually, yes. I'm depressed." She furrowed a brow in confusion, as well as concern.

"Depressed? Why?"

"I guess I just can't get over the fact that my deduction was wrong." Anger slowly started building in Raven.

"Seriously?" He grunted, taking another bite of cake.

"What, you're getting depressed over the fact that Light and Amane aren't Kira!? Ryu!"

"I suppose I am. I am suspicious of Light and Misa both being Kira. The entire case hinted on that fact. But, we know that Kira can control people actions, making it very likely that Kira was controlling their actions to make me suspect them. If I assume that both Light and Misa were being controlled by him, then everything we've observed so far makes a lot more sense to me."

"Ryu, if that's what you think, then Light and Misa may have both been Kira during the time they were controlled." She received a glare from the suspects. "I'm just saying, it's possible."

"Yes. She's right. I don't think I could've been wrong abut that. Light and Misa are Kira. If what I'm thinking is correct, when they entered confinement, they were Kira. I don't believe it's coincidence that the killings stopped right after they were confined. Until then, everything pointed to them being Kira. But after two weeks, criminals actually began dying again. From this, I can only conclude that Kira's power passes between people."

"And it seems that, in doing so, the previous owner of the power loses all memory of ever being Kira or having that power. Theoretically, they would be basically impossible to catch..." Raven finished. "That memory bit is just my own little theory, really."

"Exactly. That's why I'm overwhelmed. Even if we catch someone under Kira's control, they'll likely lose any memory of their power or being controlled. Making catching him seemingly impossible. So in the end, pursuing them becomes futile."

"Not true, Ryu. If we can manage to... Well, put Kira in a situation where they can't pass the power on to someone else..."

"But, Raven, how do you propose we do that?" She sighed, realizing that Light was right.

"I suppose. It was just an idea."

"Anyway, we have no idea if that is truly the case. Cheer up, would you Ryuzaki?"

"Cheer up? Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. It's probably better if we just stop trying so hard."

"Idiot. Don't say that. We can't give up after all we've put into this and after all of those people have died."

"By chasing Kira, we're just putting our lives at risk for nothing. Yes, it's just a waste of time." Light stood, turning to him. Raven watched in confusion, understanding when Light's fist suddenly connected with L's jaw with enough force to send them both off of the couch.

"Light!" She was off of the couch in a flash, her cake forgotten on the table as she lurched forward, toward the two.

L sat up, groaning.

"Mmm, you know that really hurt."

"That's enough! You don't feel like doing anything because your genius deduction was wrong and I'm not Kira!?"

"Perhaps I phrased it the wrong way. I meant, it would be pointless for us to make a move, so we shouldn't even bother-"

"If we don't chase Kira, he won't be caught! Is that what you want!? If you were going to just give up, why did you involve all of those innocent people!?" Light moved forward quickly, lifting L by the collar of his shirt. "More importantly, what was the point of putting Misa and me behind bars!?" Raven walked calmly, not showing any of the anger boiling within her.

"That is enough." All attention turned to her. "Meaningless physical violence will solve nothing. It isn't going to catch Kira. It isn't going to prove anything. If you two are going to fight over something this stupid, I'm out of here. Ryuzaki, you're an idiot. We can't simply give up. You know that as well as I do. Fight over stupid things, I don't care. I'm not sitting in this room of idiots any longer." Her tone steadily turned icy as she walked into the elevator, going to her own floor.

* * *

She sat on the bed with a sigh. _'He knows we can't just give up. If he's seriously considering just walking away...' _A few moments of silence passed before a soft knock sounded at the door. "Come in." The door opened, revealing the two people she didn't particularly want to see at the moment. "What?"

"I wanted to apologize."

"And you dragged Light here, why?"

"Well.." He lifted his chained wrist. Raven rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, what is it?"

"I said before. I wanted to apologize."

"Are you feeling better, now that you're both bruised and injured?" He smiled a tiny, rare, genuine smile.

"A bit." She returned it.

"Alright then. Let's go. You both need some ice to keep any swelling down to a minimum."

* * *

"Ow!"

"Ah, quit it, you baby."

"But... Ouch!" She rolled her eyes, pressing the ice pack wrapped in a cloth against Light's back.

"It's your own fault, you idiot. If you hadn't started a fight, you wouldn't be here now, would you?"

"I guess -ow!- not. Thanks, Raven."

"It's no trouble. However, hurt Ryu again and you may end up in the hospital. Got it?" She asked seriously. He paused, not turning around.

"Got it."

"Now for you." She moved over to L, pressing an ice pack wrapped in a towel against his bare back. She was a bit more gentle, knowing that he wasn't really used to any kind of human contact.

"Sorry..." He mumbled. She smiled gently.

"You weren't seriously going to give up, were you?"

"Probably not." She rolled her eyes.

"Is Misa okay?"

"Yeah. She's fine. Got a little mad at me for messing up her apartment, but..." Light trailed off, holding an ice pack to his neck.

"I see. We should get back to work soon."

"You could have let Watari do this."

"Could've. Didn't. Give the old man a break once in a while, would ya? Anyway, I'm glad you guys didn't fight for much longer after I left. I'd probably have to deal with a lot more than this, if you did. You know, this is why I was in there. To _avoid _this."

"I know..."

"Guess that didn't work, did it? I just stormed out."

"I suppose. You did try, though."

"I guess."

* * *

"Ryu, I was checking the stats for the general market because I noticed that more than a couple of businessmen had died recently. Look at this," He wheeled over to her, looking at the screen with widened eyes. "all of these deaths have been beneficial to one company. Yotsuba."

"Very good work, Raven. How did these people die?"

"Most of them were heart attacks. A couple were accidents..."

"I see..."

"Nice catch, Raven." She looked at Light, then back at the monitor. _'We may have a lead...' _She smiled.

* * *

"Chief? What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid it's true. My superiors made it clear. If you choose to continue working with L, you'll be fired. That's all there is to it."

"So then, chief, you're gonna..."

"In a few hours, I'm no longer going to be your chief. However, we all have our own lives, so think this over carefully." Matsuda nodded.

"That's true, chief. Especially if you've got a family to support..."

"If you want my opinion, you're better off as police officers." All attention turned to L. "I was... Alone-"

"You had me. I was here," Raven cut in.

"I suppose. But, before that, I was alone on this investigation. And while I'm grateful to all of you for your help, I know that I can do this by myself. I'll be sure to visit you at the department and bring you Kira's head as a reward for all you've sacrificed."

"Ryu, as long as Light and I are here, you won't be alone."

"Hmm. That's right. I'll have Light and Raven with me until we catch Kira, so I won't be alone after all. But as I said, I think you all would be better off as police officers."

"But, when you first contacted us, you said you'd need the help of the police!"

"That's because the police as an organization were still hoping to catch Kira. Not bowing to him. Besides, with all due respect, there's a big difference between the police as an organization and the help of two or three civilians," He ate a cherry. "Anyway, as you said, the police have decided they aren't willing to catch Kira, so let's just leave it at that."

"Ryu, get over this pessimistic attitude already! It's driving me up the wall. They still have a choice in the matter, do they not?"

"They do. I'm not asking them to quit, I'm merely giving them my thoughts." Raven rolled her eyes.

"Well, I suppose what Ryuzaki's saying is true. If we're not police officers anymore, we're not of much use to you. However, we're all personally involved in this. We've all risked our lives for this. Raven is right, we still have the choice of whether or not we stay or go back to the police," Yagami agreed.

"Good point. By all means, please make your decision."

"But, chief, wait. If you quit your job in the police, you'll be unemployed. Even if we do catch Kira, what happens after that?" Aizawa asked, glancing at Raven, Light, and L.

"After? I hadn't really thought of it." Yagami grinned. "I guess I'll have to dust off my resume."

"Count me in too, chief! After all, I have the job as MisaMisa's manager. If I were to quit now, I'd feel like a total loser-"

"Matsuda, think before speaking," Raven warned, looking over at Aizawa. She knew he was struggling with the decision.

"Ryuzaki... Is there any way I can stay with the police and help you in my spare time?"

"I'm afraid not. If you go back to the police, please don't come back here."

"But you know I won't leak any information-"

"I won't be sharing any information." Aizawa's expression fell. He dropped his head, staring at the floor. "You can investigate on your own if you want, but I don't think it's fair to burden you and your families by giving up your livelihood in order to catch Kira. I can't see how that's a good idea."

"It's as Ryuzaki says. No one will blame you for quitting."

"Yeah, we get why you have to do this!"

"Give him a moment."

"...But, the chief has a family too..." Yagami placed a hand on Aizawa's shoulder.

"Our situations are completely different."

Aizawa paused, keeping his head down.

"Damn it... After all we've been through... I said I was prepared to die to catch Kira and I meant it... What kind of friend would I be to Ukita if I quit now? I became a detective to catch the bad guys, not run away!" A blip sounded from the computer, turning everyone's attention to it.

"Ryuzaki, early on in the investigation, you had me make sure that if a member of the Task Force was to lose their job, under any circumstances, their family's financial future would be secured. If you recall, a trust was set aside for that very purpose. I'm a little curious as to why you're withholding this information."

"Now is not the time or place, Watari."

"I'm sorry." Raven looked over, a small smile dropping from her face at Aizawa's expression.

"Really? Ryuzaki, I can't believe you did that!" Matsuda grinned, looking back at the monitor.

"Ryuzaki, I assume that this is some sort of test to see how committed to the Task Force I was?"

"N-no, it's not like that, Aizawa. Ryuzaki just isn't the type to say things directly. You should know that by now," Yagami quickly assured him.

"No. I was testing you. I wanted to see which one you'd choose."

"Ryu..."

"Fine then. If I wasn't sure before, I am now."

"Aizaw-"

"Let's face it. I wasn't able to decide right away like you guys. I was leaning toward going back to the police."

"Come on, Aizawa, don't be so stubborn-" Matsuda tried, only to be interrupted.

"No, I quit. Now I know this for sure. I've always hated Ryuzaki! I hate him and his way of doing things!" He turned to storm out.

"Aizawa, please, wait!"

"That's too bad, because I like you, Aizawa." Raven looked at L, then back at a fuming Aizawa. He turned, seeming absolutely livid.

"And I hate how you've always gotta have the last word! You insult me, then you say something like that!? That's it, I'm outta here!"

"Thank you for everything."Raven glared at L, hearing the door close on the opposite end of the room.

Her expression fell when she noticed just how small L seemed, perched in his chair in that usual position, tightly hugging his knees. It reminded her of a watchful animal, constantly in fear for it's life. She shivered at the thought, leaning against the desk. Sighing, she closing her eyes for a brief moment.


	14. Chapter 14: Matsui

**AN**

**Hello, fellow geeks! It is I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! (Yes, that is my new opening. :D) HOLY CRAP I GOT TWO FOLLOWS AND A FAVORITE! YAY! THANK YOU WONDERFUL GEEKS!**

**I'm really sorry I couldn't update for the last two days! I went over to my friends for a couple of days. Eek, this chapter's so much shorter than the others! I'm really sorry! ANYWAY! **

**SPOILERS: L's true name.  
**

**Font meanings: Bold; AN, memories. _Italic Bold; dreams. _**_Plain Bold; Thoughts._

**Me: I do not own Death Note. Raven is my own creation.**

* * *

"_**It'll be lonely, won't it?" She cocked her head to the side, confused over his words and appearance. He was drenched. Water droplets fell onto the ground with quiet tap-tap noises, the only thing breaking the silence before she spoke.**_

"_**Ryu, wh-"**_

"_**We'll be parting ways soon." She moved closer to him, kneeling down on the stairs next to him. She placed a hand under his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. She saw a deep sadness in the grey eyes staring into hers.**_

"_**Ryu, I don't know what you're talking about, but you're not going anywhere." A small, sad, genuine smile graced his lips.**_

"_**Oh, but I am. It'll hurt, won't it...?" **_

"_**What are you talking about, Ryu? Nothing will-"**_

"_**I won't last much longer."**_

_**"Stop talking like that." She placed her other hand on his shoulder, not breaking eye contact with him. She was genuinely confused over his words, but she could guess what he was implying. "Listen to me, Lawliet. You are not going to die." His eyes fell, hiding under a mess of sopping wet hair.**_

"_**You're wrong."**_

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open. _'What...' _She closed her eyes again, shaking her head slightly. _'That was different...' _She sat up, pushing the black strands of hair out of her face. She had gotten used to the color. Apparently, she had bought the wrong kind of dye, turning her hair dark for much longer than she had intended it too. She sighed, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. _'If that dream wasn't just a dream, I need to ask Lawliet if he... Well, thinks he's gonna...' _She shook her head again. _'Lawliet's not gonna die. I won't let him..._

* * *

"What do you mean Matsuda's in trouble?"

"Exactly that. The idiot snuck into the Yostuba head office," L stated, glaring at the monitor. She rolled her eyes, leaning against the desk. "now, I'm going to ask you to do something for me."

* * *

"Ryu, I swear..."

"Raven, please." She narrowed her eyes dangerously at the detective.

"Would you please just _look _at what I'm wearing! This is awful!"

"I-"

"Shut. Up. Just be glad I agreed to this in the first place." She glared as she noticed a tiny smirk playing with the corners of L's lips.

* * *

"H- hi," Raven mumbled awkwardly as the men from Yotsuba stumbled into Misa's apartment. One of them, she remembered as Higuchi, sat uncomfortably close to her on a couch. His breath reeked as he spoke, making Raven resist flinching.

"Hah, hah. Nervous?" She answered honestly.

"Y-yeah, a-a bit. I've never done anything like this before. Hah," She forced herself to stutter, hoping he would just leave her alone. Instead, he just laughed, leaning back into the couch.

"Ah, there's no need to be, sweetheart! What's your name? Come on, I won't bite!" She forced an awkward laugh.

"R- Rei. Rei Matsui. You met my brother, I think."

"Oh, yeah, the model's manager?"

"Y-yeah. Hah, sorry if he bothered you. He's a bit of a dope," She smiled, really wanting to get up and leave. _'Damn it, Matsuda. If it weren't for you, none of us would be here!' _

"Nah, not really. Anyway, Rei, how's it going for you?"

"Uh... Alright. I'm a little nervous. Hah." She chuckled, looking around the room.

"No need to be. Have you been in Japan long? You don't look Japanese."

"I'm not. My mother and father were English, and I grew up in England. I-I haven't been here long." She laughed again, glancing around at the other guests, before looking back at the man next to her.

"Ah, I see." He took a plastic cup of some sort of alcohol, drinking half of it in one go.

"Uh, I'll be right back. I'm gonna talk to my cousin for a moment." She stood quickly, hurrying away from Higuchi and toward Matsuda. He smiled nervously as Raven pulled him into another room. "I'm gonna flippin' kill you! Why did you have to-"

"I'm really sorry, Raven! I-"

"Not important right now. We need to contact-" His phone rang. He glanced at her before opening it, a look of relief flooding his face as he put it on speaker.

"Ryuzaki! I'm so sorry-"

"As Raven said, that's not important right now. What is important is that we get you both out of there. Quickly."

"But, Ryu, how? I mean...-"

"I have an idea. Matsuda, I'm afraid you'll have to die before they can kill you." Raven snickered at the look of horror forming on Matusda's face.

"You couldn't have tried to phrase that any worse, could you?"

* * *

_BAM! _

Matsuda kicked the door open, startling everyone in the room but one. Raven put on a concerned expression and ran up to him.

"Taro? Taro, what's-"

"Oh, hey, Rei! Dude, I'm _so_ drunk." He stumbled past her, going for the balcony.

"Taro?"

"Okay, it's time for the Taro Matsui show! Hahah!" She glanced back at the room as Matsuda climbed onto the rail.

"Taro, get down! You're drunk!"

"Hey, yeah! Get down!" Everyone gathered at the door of the balcony, watching in horror as Matsuda swayed on the rail, before falling.

"_Taro_!" She ran forward, looking over the rail. She closed her eyes, forcing them to water as she turned back to the people who were currently shouting and calling for police. She shook, clasping her hands in front of her. "H- he... He's dead..." She bolted past the Yotusba group, 'sobbing' as she ran out the door.

* * *

"Matsuda..." She sat on the bed next to him, gazing out at the lights of the city below in the dark room.

"I'm really sorry, Raven..." She sighed, placing a hand on the small of his back and rubbing soothing circles into it.

"It's okay. I'm just glad it all worked out. Really, the part that bothered me so much was Higuchi. Also, the outfit was totally embarrassing." He sunk further forwards.

"Really, Raven, I'm so sorry..." She smiled genuinely.

"It's okay, Matsuda," She said softly, a small smile forming on her lips as he looked back down at the floor.


	15. Chapter 15: Meeting

**AN**

**Hello, fellow geeks! It is I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! (That'll probably get old really soon. XD) Here's chapter 15!**

**Font meanings: Bold; AN, Memories. _Italic Bold; Dreams. _**_Plain italic; Thoughts._

**I do not own Death Note.**

* * *

"**Beyond! Hey!" He turned, watching as the redhead ran up to him with a grin. "What are you doing?"**

**"Nothing."**

**"Well, aren't you interesting," She asked sarcastically, grinning and brushing the hair out of his eyes.**

"**Well, what I'm doing isn't very interesting. However, you seem to think that I am interesting." She sat down beside him, watching the sky turn from blue to light yellow as the sun set.**

"**You are interesting, Beyond." He smiled.**

"**Look." He pointed to the woods. A rabbit jumped around the trees, disappearing into the bushes. She watched as it sped back into the woods. The necklace that Beyond had given her, only weeks before, shone in the light of the setting sun. **

"**We should get back inside. I think it's almost dinner time." He nodded, standing, and offered her a hand. She took it, smiling as they walked back inside.**

* * *

"Oi, what's with all the shouting?" She rubbed her eyes, irritable due to another almost sleepless night.

"We set up cameras in the Yotsuba-"

"Yup. Know that."

"They were talking about who to kill, decided on victims, times of death, the works. Ryuzaki doesn't think we can move in to arrest them until the decided upon victims are dead." Her sleepy eyes widened.

"Ryu..."

"We can't just go on knowing that these people will die, that's just immoral!"

"We're talking about peoples lives, Ryu. Yes, if these people die, that will prove it, but... We know that these people will most likely die. I agree with Light."

"Ryuzaki, I know you're planning to catch Kira by actually letting these guys carry out these murders, but we can't let that happen!"

"Right! It's obvious that these seven men are behind the killings. With Matsuda's testimony, and the footage we've recorded, we have all of the evidence," Yagami argued.

"You're making this difficult. If we take action now, everything we've done will go to waste." Raven stared at him with widened eyes. _'Is he serious...? We can't just let these people die...' _She watched as the Yotsuba group chose a time of death for a victim.

"If that's what they're going to do, then we don't have much time left!"

"The Chief- No, Yagami, is right, Ryu."

"Light, we have the phone numbers of these board members, right?" Light nodded, handing him a sheet of paper. "I don't care who we call, but I need to reach one of these men and have them stop these murders." Raven stepped forward.

"Wait, Yagami. That'll cause suspicion."

"She's right. It would mean that the investigation caught up to them three days after they were contacted by Aiber. Also, it would make it far more unlikely that we would discover who the real Kira might be. We can't afford such a huge setback, seeing how far we've come. In order to catch Kira, we'll need solid proof."

"Ryuzaki, if one of these men is Kira, if I were to call one of them, the odds of that person actually being Kira is going to be one in seven, right?"

"I'm thinking that there may be more than one Kira among them. A probability of two in seven at most."

"If we're prepared to let them know that the investigation is catching up to them, let's place out bets on these odds. Ryuzaki, I'm going to pose as L. Judging by their conversations so far, the one least likely to be Kira, but the one who probably has the influence is Namikawa."

"If you're going to make a call, please use this phone. It's set up so it can't be traced or tapped."

"Light, are you sure you should call them at a time like this? I mean, Aiber contacted them claiming to be Coil. If L were to contact them only days after that... No matter how we talk to them, it will probably raise some sort of suspicion."

"True, but, at this point it may be unavoidable."

* * *

"That went well. You really are quite amazing, Light. Not only did you delay the killings, you set up Namikawa as a potential mole for us. Sounded exactly like the sort of thing I would do, and you thought of it quicker than I did. At this rate, if I end up dying somehow, you may be quite able to succeed me." Raven glared at him furiously. _'Not only am I an actual successor, but you have others, L! Near, Mello, Matt...Don't you dare force all of this onto Light. I won't allow it.' _

"What!? Why are you being so morbid!? There isn't time for that! We only have a month to figure out Kira's identity and gather evidence against him to prove it. This is only the beginning."

"Yes. Though I honestly do believe that you could take this on. Maybe Raven as well, seeing as how she was the one who found the connection between Yotsuba and Kira. Tell me, Light. If I should, would you take over for me as L?" _'I see what he's doing. Though... Could he be hinting that I may be a suspect...? No, of course not... But he did say that maybe I'd be able to help Light... No, of course he doesn't think of me as a suspect... Does he?' _

"What are you talking about, Ryuzaki?" He paused. "I'm sorry, Ryuzaki, but I'm going to have to tell everyone what you're really thinking right now. He thinks that if I am Kira, then there are two possibilities. Either I'm just pretending and putting on an act, or Kira's power has passed on from me to someone else and I have no memory that I was ever Kira in the first place. He's trying to determine which – if either – is the truth. The first theory, if I am putting on an act, he will never remove these handcuffs. No, even I wasn't pretending, he'd still never take them off. Ryuzaki still believes that I am Kira. Even if that power had been passed on to someone else, he thinks that I would've planned to have it returned to me after I've been cleared of suspicion."

"In other words, he thinks, and I do as well, that you have had the power somehow passed on to someone else. After all suspicion has been cleared, he thinks you'll get it back."

"Yes. Ryuzaki's theory is that once I steal L's title, I will become Kira again."

"Correct."

"Taking on the identity of L, having the power to control the police in every country while being Kira in secret. It's ideal. And you're thinking I could do it. No, that I would do it. That's what you're saying, isn't it?"

"Yes." Raven could tell that they'd start fighting again soon by simply listening to their conversation. _'Maybe not. If they do, I won't storm off again. If they start fighting again, I'll just have to step in. Maybe literally. Man, I don't wanna be involved in a fight. Even if it is just them.' _She inwardly sighed.

"But what about now? I've told you, I don't want your title. That should prove even to you that I'm not putting on an act, shouldn't it?"

"If this is an act, and you are planning to steal my identity as L, it'd be foolish to reveal your plan in front of everyone. Wouldn't you agree?" Light put a hand on L's shoulder, turning the chair around. He knelt down, staring L right in the eyes.

"Ryuzaki... Do you think that I am actually capable of becoming a murderer? Kira? Even after I help you catch him? Do I really seem like that kind of person to you?" Raven tensed, knowing L's answer. _'Yup, they're gonna start a fight.'_

"Yes you do. I've always thought so." Light closed his eyes.

"Li-" Raven was cut off by pained grunts from the both of them. Light had managed to punch L while L had kicked Light. She heard Matsuda groan as she roughly jerked Light away from L, making him stumble backwards and fall over. He looked up at her, propping up his elbows on the floor. He took one look at her expression and she could tell he knew that she was sick of it.

"That's. Enough. I'm getting really tired of this. You're both acting very stupidly." He stood, rubbing his jaw.

"She's right guys! Let's call it a draw, it was an even match!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's just focus on catching the Kira that's in front of us. As long as I have the handcuffs on, you shouldn't have any complaints, Ryuzaki."

"I suppose so. We only have a month, so let's not get distracted." Matsuda breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ryuzaki..." Yagami started.

"Yes?"

"We have plenty of footage from this meeting. Couldn't we use this as evidence against those seven men and prevent the deaths of more criminals?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"But why?"

"Yagami, we still wouldn't know who exactly Kira is. Even if we arrested all seven of them... It's possible that he isn't among them. If that is true, Kira will kill them as soon as they are arrested," Raven explained. He nodded in understanding. "Even if Kira is among them, it will still be difficult to find who he is."

"Yes. I believe it's still far to early to make our move."

"Hold on, at the same time, we can't say that he's definitely not among the seven. That means there's a possibility that the killings will stop if we take this opportunity to arrest them."

"I think dad's right. We have to act on it."

"Excuse me, but, I think that I should go after Kira by myself."

"Ryu?"

"You can use these headquarters as you wish. I'll also be here, but we'll be working independently. You can conduct your investigation under your own direction. Feel free to arrest those men if you like. I will be carrying on with my own investigation. We'll only get into arguments if we don't split up and act separately at this point. This is... For the best."

"Are you saying that you'll find out who Kira is by any means necessary?"

"Yes."

"Hold on a second, Ryu. You know that I'm not leaving. Simple as that. But, if we all split up and act separately, we may clash. For instance, if Yagami arrests those men, and they're killed, you and I may have lost a valuable source of information."

"True."

"Well, then..." She sighed exasperatedly.

"This case will never be solved unless we capture Kira himself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that preventing deaths is pointless. But if we don't reveal the truth once and for all, Kira may arise again, and the number of victims will continue to increase. That's why I think it's important to find out who Kira really is." He pushed away from the desk, standing. " As I was saying, I'm opposed to arresting those seven men. If you want to do so, you will have to take responsibility for it. I will pursue Kira on my own. We only have one month. I wonder who will succeed..." Raven followed him as he dragged Light upstairs.

"I'm sure it's obvious that I'm staying with you," She stated, climbing the steps behind the two.

"I assumed. However, you can do what you want."

"Ryuzaki, where are you going?" Light grunted, a little agitatedly.

"To Amane's room. Sorry, Light. I know you're on your father's side in all of this, but I'm afraid I can't remove these handcuffs. I'm afraid you'll have to come with me." Raven smirked as Light sighed.


	16. Chapter 16: Sick

**AN**

**Hello once again, fellow geeks! It is I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! Here's chapter 16! Sorry it's short... I'll try to make these longer. Anyway, reviews are awesome! :)**

0

Raven stared at the blank screen, thinking deeply. She realized on some level that she had a headache, but didn't particularly care at the moment. _'Is it possible that L could have really been implying that I am a suspect in this? I mean... He wouldn't have a reason to suspect me in this, right? I want nothing more than to catch Kira for what he did to Beyond. _

_So... Maybe I'm just over-thinking this. I probably am. But... L's suggestion that Light could take his position as L was also aimed at me. He suspects Light... That was the whole reason he brought it up in the first place. If he said yes, L would have no doubt that light is Kira. So... Why was that question also aimed at me, if he's not implying that I may be a suspect?'_

"-n. -ven. Raven!" She blinked, her eyes focusing. L was staring at her curiously.

"Hmm? What?"

"Are you feeling alright? You've been staring at a blank screen for over five minutes." She shook her head, clearing her mind.

"Yeah. Sorry..." She closed her eyes, sighing. She felt something cold touch her forehead. She opened her eyes.

_'How did he get over here so quickly... And quietly?'_ "Wh-"

"You're awfully warm," He said, a hint of concern in his voice as he pulled his hand back. "you should get some rest. You've been working for almost three days straight." She rubbed her eyes, sighing.

"I know, Ryu." She stood, aiming to ask Watari for something for her head. A wave of dizziness, as well as her pounding head made the world spin in slow, loopy circles before everything went black.

* * *

"Raven?" Her eyes opened. She groaned as her head pounded.

"Yes, Misa?"

"Are you okay? Ryuzaki said you collapsed!"

"Yeah. I'm just a little sick, that's all."

"I don't think that 'just a little sick' means randomly collapsing, Raven." She looked over, ignoring the splitting headache.

"Hey, Ryu..."

"Are you feeling alright?" She coughed.

"Well... Not really. If I can get a laptop or something..."

"No." She cocked her head to the side slightly. "You need to rest. Unnecessary stress will only make it worse. I want you to take a couple of days off."

"But, we just found the Yotsuba-"

"You're going to rest, even if I have to sedate you." She watched him for a second.

"Fine. But I want updates on the case." They nodded. "Hey, where am I? Misa's floor?"

"No. Yours. Misa just wanted to see that you get better."

_'Surprising. I thought Misa hated me.' _

"Alright. Well, you guys should probably get back downstairs."

"Misa will stay with you!"

"Alright. Thanks, Misa. You don't have to."

"No! Misa has been feeling bad over how she's been treating you recently." Raven smiled.

"It's okay. I guess it would be kind of lonely here alone, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah!"

"Raven, we're going downstairs. Get-"

"Yeah, yeah. Rest, don't stress out, fine. Just go, Sherlock." She smiled, waving as he smirked and walked out the door. Light waved before stumbling backward, the chain yanking him along.

* * *

"_**Ryu?"**_

"_**Raven. You're sick. You shouldn't be up here." She held up a hand, shielding her eyes from the rain. **_

"_**Ryu, what are you doing up here?"**_

"_**Oh, nothing..." She walked out, into the pouring rain. **_

"_**It's a dream. I'm not gonna get any sicker in a dream. You know that, don't you, Ryu? You've been in a lot of my dreams... You only ever seem to want to keep me safe. Even in my dreams," She murmured, smiling softly, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the roof around them. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, a long way off.**_

"_**I don't want any harm to come to you."**_

**_"Why? Why are you so protective of me?"_**

**_"You seem to think that I don't care for you." She cocked her head to the side._**

"_**Care for me...? What do you mean?" He smiled sadly, turning back to watch the rain.**_

"_**You'll figure it out." Everything began to fade.**_

"_**Ryu? Ryu, wait!"**_

* * *

"Raven?" She opened her eyes, looking around. Misa stood over her, looking a little worried.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Is Raven alright? You were calling out to Ryuzaki." Raven sighed.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

* * *

_'I don't know how much more of this I can take. I hate being sick.' _She gulped down another glass of water, flicking absentmindedly through the TV channels.

"How's Raven doing?"

"I'm doing much better. Maybe Ryu will let me downstairs soon."

"Ryuzaki's right, you know. It's not good to stress yourself out that much."

"Hmm."

"Hey, Raven?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you suspect me and Light?" Misa asked. Raven sighed, knowing that she probably wouldn't like the answer.

"Well... Yes. I share the same views as Ryuzaki. I think that you _were_ both Kira and the second Kira. But you gave up whatever power it was that made you Kira, and you have no memories of it." Misa scowled.

"Well, we're not Kira!"

"There is evidence that at least you are Kira. Light's actions... Well, during confinement, he changed-"

"We're not Kira!"

"Let's just find something on TV." Misa nodded, happy to get away from the subject.

* * *

"Raven?"

"Oh, hey Light. Ryu."

"Hi. How are you feeling?" L hopped into a chair next to her bed, crouching in that usual way of his. Raven smiled at this.

"Fine."

"Is that so? Are you just saying that, or are you actually feeling well?" She rolled her eyes.

"I feel fine, Ryu. It's been over four days. I'm going nuts in here. Can I go back to work soon?"

"Just to be safe, I want you to stay in here until tomorrow." She sighed, leaning back on the pillows.

"Fine."

* * *

"Oh, Raven! Good to see you up and moving." She nodded happily, smiling as her presence was made known. Everyone turned, and she was unexpectedly wrapping up in an enormous hug from Matsuda. She laughed as he let her go, smiling widely.

"Hey, guys. Any updates?"

"No. Did you get enough rest? You look much better," L pointed out. The rings underneath her eyes were much less noticeable. She smiled.

"Yeah, actually. I feel a lot better than before."

"That's good." She walked up to him, putting a hand on the back of his chair.

"_Never_ leave me alone with Misa for that long again." He chuckled, turning back to the monitors.


	17. Chapter 17: Shinigami

**AN**

**Hello once again, fellow geeks! (yes, it is moi, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan.) Here's chapter 17! Sorry I couldn't update yesterday. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. That belongs to Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba.**

* * *

"Misa, is it true that you were held for questioning by the detective known as L?"

"_Whaaaaat_!?"

She flew back into the couch as if she had been struck. Raven snickered at her performance, receiving a glare from the model.

"Jeez, nice, Misa. That's not overacting at all!" She murmured sarcastically.

"Raven's right, Misa. Do it again."

Raven rolled her eyes as the model pouted.

"What? But I thought that was a realistic performance!"

"Just do it again."

She made an odd jabbing motion with her hands, directed toward L. _'… What was that?'_

"Fine, oh-so-great-director!"

"Misa, if you don't get serious about this, I'll kick you." Misa made a noise of disappointment, making Raven quietly snicker again.

* * *

"Mochi, you don't smile enough!" The man in the front seat sighed quietly.

"Misa-Misa!" Raven chuckled.

"Yes, Mochi?"

"Today you have an interview with Yotsuba to see if they'll use you in their ads, but remember, this is also an infiltration mission so stay sharp!"

"Don't worry about that! But, you guys also can't let your covers fall! Mochi, you're the hyper, energetic manager! Raven, you're the shy assistant!"

"Yep. Got that. I'll be with you, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright. Remember, Misa, look nervous when they start asking you questions about L."

"Yeah!"

* * *

"I don't think we've met before. I'm John Wallace, the executive adviser for the advertisement department. It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you, it's very nice to meet you too! Oh, also, forgive Rei if she's very quiet. She's pretty shy!" Raven smiled, giving an awkward wave. She stood a few feet behind Misa, wishing she could sit somewhere.

"Sure. Well, this may seem a little sudden, but we've been talking, and have pretty much decided to hire you. But, before we make it official, I'd like to clarify a few things."

"Yes?"

"We've been doing a little background check on you, and our sources say that your parents were killed by a burglar during a robbery. You worship Kira because he killed the suspect. Isn't it true that you came to Tokyo in hopes of finding and meeting Kira?"

"Uhh... What? W- who did you hear that from?" _'__Doing great, Misa. Just keep it up.'_

"I'm afraid I can't answer that. The information is reliable. And now, I'd say it's confirmed. The look on your face tells me that these are the facts. Also, you're still hiding something from us, aren't you? Something you'd prefer the world not to know." Raven noticed Higuchi staring at her. A thought struck her. _'Crap! How could I have been so stupid!? I called Matsuda my brother, then my cousin! Shit! Higuchi knows that I lied!'_

"It seems that you were held by the detective L for a period of time. We'd like to know the full story of what really happened. It would be a problem if the new face of Yotsuba turned out to be Kira." _'Crap. Maybe I shouldn't have come... I should look surprised... No, wait! Maybe not... Shit! Should I looked like I already knew this, or should... Arg!'_

"Yes, we would appreciate it if you were honest with us."

"A- alright, I understand. I'll tell you everything. I was held for questioning. I didn't think it was L, but... He did ask me a lot of questions about Kira..."

* * *

"Is this a job interview or a police interrogation? How long are we gonna keep this up? I'm going to the bathroom," Higuchi surprised Raven by getting up and leaving.

"Uh, excuse me, but can I go to the bathroom as well?"

"Oh, and myself," Added Raven.

* * *

"That was great, Misa!You've done really well."

"Thanks, Raven! Oh, man, that was exhausting!"

"Yeah. You'd think they'd offer me a chair or something..." A piece of paper floated toward the two, touching Raven, before Misa.

"Ah!" Raven yelped as something appeared behind her, jerking her backwards and covering her mouth, before doing the same to Misa, effectively silencing them both. Raven watched in terror as it spoke.

"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt either of you. You two are in a dangerous situation right now. There are people within Yotsuba that can easily have you both killed. I've come here to warn you. Calm down and listen to me. Please believe me, I'm your ally." _'What is this thing!? Is... It...' _"Light Yagami is Kira. Tell me, what is Light doing at the moment?" Raven pounded softly on the bony arm holding her. It let her go. She flew back into the sink, breathing heavily and staring at it wide-eyed. It also released Misa, who fell to her hands and knees onto the tiled floor. Raven trembled slightly, pale, as the Shinigami watched her.

"Misa, before you were captured by L, you and I worked closely together."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand... You know me, but..."

"The Death Note," It stated vaguely. _'Death Note... Why does that sound familiar...?'_

"What?"

"It grants it's owner the power to kill someone just by writing that person's name in it." _'That... That's... It all makes sense... How else could Kira kill only with a name and face?' _"Light Yagami took it upon himself to start punishing criminals using that notebook. He soon became known to the world as Kira."

"L was right all along..."

"Yes. He was. Misa, you also possessed that same power. In fact, your ability was even greater than his. You managed to find Light Yagami by using your power to determine that he was Kira."

"Light is Kira, and I'm the second Kira? What about Raven? Why did you show yourself to her...?"

"She would think you were insane if you suddenly saw me. I needed her to understand what was happening." Raven shook uncontrollably, taking in the information with her back still against the sink. Misa stood, leaning beside Raven.

"So... I'm... I'm assuming that your a... A Shinigami?... Wait, this could be dangerous for you two... I mean, if I told L about this..."

"Yes. I am a Shinigami. If you put Misa into any kind of danger, I would kill you." Her eyes widened along with Misa's.

"You would..."

"Yes. I wouldn't allow Misa to be put in danger like that. If you tell L, I will kill you, as well as him."

"I... I see..."

"Anyway, Misa, you used to be the second Kira. Light arranged it so that you would both lose this power. This was all according to his plan."

"L was right..."

"Misa, do you still love Light enough to die for him?"

"...Unbelievable! You must be telling the truth, you already know everything about me! I totally believe you now! And, yes, I do love him... To death. Not to mention how amazing it is that Light and I were both Kira! Of course I'd want to believe something like that!" Raven stared at her, her hands gripping the edge of the sink. She didn't say anything, just took it all in. _'It's obvious now that Light and Misa were, and may again be, Kira. If L knew about this, the entire case would be solved... But... This Shinigami would kill anyone else who knew about this... I can't tell him! I can't...'_

"... I only wish I could remember it!" Misa cheered happily as Raven stared at her.

"You haven't changed, Misa." The Shinigami continued. "And it seems that your feelings for Light Yagami will never change either. It seems that the only way you can be truly happy is if you help Light with his plans."

"Thank you, Shinigami..."

"It's Rem. The current Kira is a vile and pathetic human being," Rem warned, kneeling down, startling Raven half to death, and lifted a finger in front of Misa's face. Raven backed away slightly. She had been threatened by this Shinigami not five minutes ago. "I have no idea what he is capable of. Be careful, and beware the other members of Yotsuba. Trust Light. Let him do whatever he feels necessary."

"Okay. I got it. I guess we should just act normally in the meantime, right?"

"Right. When you go back to the interview you will be able to see for yourselves who the real Kira is. Be on your guard and do not trust him."

* * *

"Oh my gosh! We're so sorry it took so long! We had to fix out make-up a bit."

Misa sat down while Raven stood behind her again. She avoided looking at the Yotsuba members until they started speaking again. She looked up. Rem stood behind-

_'Higuchi!? Oh, shit! I'm in huge trouble! He knows that I was lying about being related to Matsuda! Shit! He's Kira!? Oh, this is bad!'_

* * *

"Hey!"

"Hey guys."

"Misa-Misa! Raven! How did it go?"

"Alright. Misa did really well. They hired her."

"That's great news, Misa-Misa!" Matsuda grinned. L immediately took notice of Raven's posture, straight as a rod. She was also pale, he noticed, and her fingers trembled slightly.

"Raven, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled easily as Misa plopped down into Light's lap, earning both an annoyed and surprised grunt from him.

"I made sure to give them my cell phone number! Would you believe that three out of seven guys have already asked me for a private date!? Now I just have to accept their invitations and investigate them, right? Oh, this is going exactly as I planned!" Chirped Misa, grinning.

"No. The plan is getting canceled right now," Light said firmly, gently pushing Misa off of him.

"Huh? But why? Everything's been going so smoothly up until now!"

"If we go any further, you two will be in danger."

"I already am, thanks to my stupidity," Raven murmured frustratedly, rubbing her temples.

"What?"

"I realized that I called Matsuda my brother, then my cousin. That's not good."

"Well... Maybe not... Have any of them given any indication of suspicion on you?"

"No. Well, Higuchi was staring at me. Although, he did seem pretty interested in me at the party."

"Hmm..."

"Anyway, Misa, you can still appear in their commercials, but from now on, deny that you were ever suspected of being the second Kira and were detained by L. Mogi will continue acting as your bodyguard, but you'll be acting solely as a celebrity." Misa paused before sighing.

"If that's what you want, Light, then that's what I'll do. Oh well, I'm feeling pretty beat. Tomorrows shoot is bright and early so I'd better get some sleep!" She walked away as Raven sighed, falling into a chair. Misa's voice filled her ears again, and she burst out laughing. "Light, do you wanna come sleep with me tonight?"

"What are you talking about...?" Light asked, confused.

"Haha! That's okay, Light. You're saving it until _after_ we catch Kira, right? You don't have to be shy about it!"

"Uh..."

"Yes, Light. There's no need to be shy," L hid a smirk as he spoke, raising a cup of coffee to his lips.

"I'm not being shy!"

"No need to be so serious, either."

Raven smirked in Light's direction as she turned to the monitors.


	18. Chapter 18: Acting

**AN**

**Hello, fellow geeks! It is (Of course) I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! Ack! Well... I'm wrapping up a fanfic I haven't posted on here, and, holy crap, that just happened. XD**

**Not a lot happens in this chapter, but, I swear, it will get more interesting in the next couple of chapters! If that!**

**Thank you to PonyGrim: The Insane One for reviewing! Muahahah, I've got plans, now. (smiles a little creepily, staring off into the distance) Yes... Raven will definitely have a part to play.**

**Anyhow, chapter 18!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

0

"Misa, you have no idea how much I hate this plan. Honestly."

"No one said you had to come!"

Raven sighed.

"I'm not leaving you alone with that creep. Even if you do have Rem watching you two, I still don't feel comfortable with it."

_'If this all goes smoothly, I may be able to convince Higuchi that I'm a supporter, maybe even am allied with the second Kira. If this all goes smoothly...'_

"Nori!"

"Misa! Oh, who's your friend?"

"She's in on it. Don't worry. You said you brought two outfits, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Cool! Okay, Raven, change into this and we'll walk out in a minute."

_'Mogi's gonna be pissed about this.'_

0

"Oh, Misa."

"Hey! I hope you didn't mind, I thought that Rei should come along as well! We have some things we'd like to talk about."

Raven put on a smile, trying not to look nearly as nervous about this as she felt.

"No, no, that's alright."

Raven took the back seat while Misa sat shotgun. Higuchi drove off, down the highway.

"What an amazing car," Misa commented.

"Thanks. If you'd like, I'll give ya a ride any time, or buy you one of your own."

Misa giggled while Raven just tried to look confident.

She figured that she had failed miserably when Higuchi spoke.

"Rei, you okay? You look a little nervous."

"Huh? O- oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright. Hey, what do you two say we go out and grab a bite to eat?"

"Are you planning on taking us somewhere and doing pervy things to us?"

Raven nearly choked on air as stared at Misa. She was secretly glad that Rem was sitting next to her.

"Well, even if you are, that's okay, since we can kill people," Misa continued.

Higuchi looked over at them, a little suspicious.

He laughed.

"Come on, you're just kidding with me aren't ya? You two can kill people?"

Raven looked as confident as she could manage, sitting up straighter and giving him a smile.

"Yep."

He looked a bit shocked by her sudden change in mood.

"Yep, it's true! You know why? 'Cause we're the second Kira. Well, I have the power, but Rei does most of the work that I can't."

"Oh, Misa! You don't have to make up stuff like that to feel safe with me! I'm sure you'll find that I'm quite the gentleman."

"Yeah, maybe, anyway, we'll only prove that we're the second Kira to the real Kira."

"You'll only show proof to Kira, why?"

"Because it's always been my dream to become Kira's wife. I'm sure he'll need me by his side once I tell him. Rei, though, she believes that what Kira is doing is right. She wants to help him in any way she can."

_'Thank you, Misa.'_

She was grateful that Misa had covered for her lack of speech.

"Hahah! So, since I happen to be Kira, does that mean you'll marry me?"

Raven looked on in shock.

_'… Wow. This guy's an idiot.'_

Misa gazed at him with an open mouth.

"Really!?"

"Y- yeah."

She moved over, tugging on his arm lightly.

"Then prove it to us! Come on! We'll show it to each other!"

"I can't do that. It'd be bad to let someone witness how I kill people."

"You think so? I dunno, if I thought someone was Kira, I think I'd be willing to show them. We'd never get anywhere if I didn't."

"Hah! Then why don't _you_ kill someone? After all, I may be the real Kira."

"Oh, alright. But I only kill bad people, okay?"

Raven, afraid she had been too quiet, spoke.

"Yeah. Only criminals."

She watched his reaction, though he seemed to have ignored her. He pulled over, taking out a laptop and showing the screen to Misa and Raven.

"This is Ginzo Kaneboshi. President of a major finance company. He's known for his immoral collection methods. Sometimes he even makes people pay with their insurance money. How 'bout him?"

"Would you be able to confirm his death right away?"

"Yeah, when I call him."

"Okay then. Could you turn around?"

After he did, there was a slight pause. Rem nodded slightly, taking out a notebook.

"Alright, he should be dead by now."

Higuchi raised a phone to his ear, dialing a number.

After a moment, he turned, a shocked expression on his face.

He pulled a lever, making Misa's seat fall back. She gasped as she was unexpectedly pounced upon.

Raven resisted growling at him to get off of her as he spoke, but she couldn't stop herself from moving as far from him as she could get, while still ready to jump in if anything went wrong. She glared at him furiously, but he took no notice.

"So, if I'm Kira, you'll marry me, right!?"

_'As if Misa would ever be stupid enough to marry you, you sick, twisted perv!' _

She bit her tongue to avoid calling him names, or yelling at him. Most likely both.

"Wh- uh, hey, why're you getting so serious all of a sudden?"

"Yeah! Back off!"

Again, she went ignored.

"Because I'm Kira."

"Then prove it."

"I'm not gonna be able to kill 'til I get home. You understand?"

Misa's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly as she pushed him off of her.

"Oh, well, that's no good then. For all we know, you're just making this up as an excuse to take us to your place. Wait! I know! Why don't you stop killing the criminals on TV? That should prove it! If you're Kira, it should be no problem! You can start killing again when I tell you too. Then, if all the times of deaths match up, we'll believe you. After all, killing criminals in that way is something that only Kira could do!"

_'Smart thinking.'_

"I see what you mean. Alright, Misa. I'm Kira, so in order to make you trust me and prove that I'm him, I'll stop killing for the time being. Then, when you're fully convinced that I'm the real thing, we can get married."

0

"I'm gonna be sick," Raven groaned.

"Misa! Raven! Where were you two!?"

Raven simply pointed to the proud blonde, holding up a cellphone.

She pressed a button, playing the recording.

Raven plopped into a rolling chair, not bothering to move it again when she went back a few feet. She simply sighed, warding off a headache.

"I just wanna say, that I only went with her on this because I didn't trust her to be alone with that- with Higuchi. I went for her safety."

She closed her eyes, hearing the blonde rattle on about how, based on what he said, Higuchi was Kira. After hearing a praise from Matsuda, she opened her eyes again, looking at L.

She noticed that he was staring at her, as though trying to figure something out.

_'If I wasn't suspected before, I am now.'_

She sighed at the thought.

0


	19. Chapter 19: Remember

**AN**

**EEEK! TWO REVIEWS IN LESS THAN THREE HOURS! (Granted they were by the same person, which, by the way, thank you again PonyGrim: The Insane One.)**

**Ack! I had been losing a bit of inspiration for this story, a little due to the lack of feedback. Anyway, here's chapter 19!**

**POSSIBLE WARNING: I just would like to say that there is some serious emotional and mental damage for Raven ahead. If this makes anyone uncomfortable in any way or may cause any sort of triggers, please keep this in mind. (This is probably not needed, but I just want to say.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. This is FANFICTION. (there's a reason why it's called that)**

* * *

Raven had been on-edge, to say the least. Higuchi was being arrested. That day. That hour. Matsuda had bravely agreed to appear on TV, show his face, and keep a broadcast going for over two hours, promising to reveal Kira's true identity at the end. She had been on her toes, almost literally for the last two hours. The plan was going almost exactly like they had planned it. As Light had said, it was almost frightening.

"Light, Raven, we should head out now."

She nodded.

* * *

She waited at the Yoshida Productions, along with Yagami, Aiber, and Mogi. Wedy appeared, crouching down next to her. She glanced over, seeing something shine in the light. It was a gun.

"One of you, take this. Aiber hates using guns, and right now, I'm the only one armed." Yagami refused it.

"Here, Raven. Take it."

"I'm sorry, I can't."

"Suit yourselves."

"Wait... Shit, he's here," Raven cursed quietly. They grew silent as Higuchi burst in, staring in shock at the dummies.

"Freeze!" They surrounded him.

"I- I think that there has been some sort of misunderstanding... I'm Higuchi from Yotsuba. I was just trying to speak with Demegawa... Here, let me show you my business card..." Raven noticed what he had taken out before the others.

"He's got a gun!" Yagami dove in front Raven before the bullet could strike her, a potentially fatal hit.

"Shit! Aiber!"

Wedy tossed the gun to him as Yagami fell. His shoulder was injured, but he would be alright.

"Yagami!"

"No, no, I'm alright. I was just grazed. I'm sorry, Ryuzaki..."

"There's no time for that! Mogi, get him some medical attention. Wedy and I need to leave!" He nodded.

* * *

Wedy and Raven took off, speeding down the streets on a motorbike.

"Don't worry about Yagami, Raven. He'll be okay. He's a tough bastard," Wedy said, shouting over the loud sound of the bike.

"I'm not very worried, but... I can't help but think that if I had just taken the gun, he wouldn't have been hurt."

"The same could be said for him. Anyway, don't think too hard on it. We're almost- wait, what's happening?"

"The bridge has been blocked off! Aizawa... He's the only one who could have...!"

"Guess you're right."

Wedy skidded to a stop as Higuchi tried to escape again. He had made it only a few feet before a gunshot rang through the air and his tires exploded, sending him into a wall. He was quickly surrounded by cars and officers, all of whom had tinted helmets.

"Someone put a headset on him," L's voice ordered. She noticed Rem standing a bit away from the car, watching her closely. _'Crap! If I touch the notebook, it'll look suspicious if I don't act surprised...' _Higuchi told L about the notebook quickly.

"Raven, please bring it here." She walked to the car, rummaging through the bag until her fingers closed around the notebook. She screamed. It was a real, terror filled, agonized, scream. The notebook slipped from her grip as a rush of images and forgotten memories flooded through her head.

"Raven!? Raven! Are you alright!?" She ignored the concerned voices as she clutched at her head in agony.

* * *

**"What's this?" **

**She leaned down, picking up the strange notebook.**

* * *

**"I – I – No! I just... I just killed! I just k- killed someone! T- the notebook...! I- It's real!"**

* * *

"**No! I don't want this! I- I never thought... I... I... What have I done!?"**

* * *

**"G- Gelus, take it back... Please! Please, just take it! I... Please! I don't want the Death Note!"**

**"Are you sure, Ray?"**

**"Y- yes. Please, just take it back..."**

* * *

"It all makes sense now," She murmured, her eyes wide and her legs giving out, her vision beginning to fade as black spots seemed to swarm her surroundings. Why couldn't Rem have just waited to show herself to Misa? Why did Rem appear to be so threatening toward Raven? Why did the concepts seem so familiar? She took one look back at the Task Force before she blacked out.

* * *

"Raven...?" She groaned, her head pounding. _'Am I sick again?'_

"Ryu?"

"Raven!" She opened her eyes, sitting up. She took a damp cloth from her head, noting that it was very warm.

"Wait, you're not well. Lay back down."

"What happened?"

"We don't know. You touched the notebook, yelled, and fell unconscious."

"... Oh." She felt sick. She remembered. Everything.

* * *

**"No... No way... No, no, no, no, no... That's impossible!"**

**"I'm afraid not." She looked up, startled by the unfamiliar voice arising from the space near her bed. She screamed.**

**"Calm down! Do you wanna wake the entire orphanage!?" She stopped screaming, backing away. She fell off of the chair and onto the floor, scrambling back. She stared at it, wide-eyed.**

**"What are you," She managed. "who?"**

**"I'm Gelus. That notebook belonged to a Shinigami that saved your life. I felt that you should have it."**

**"Wh- what!?" A Sh- Shinigami...?"**

**"Yes. His name was Raven. Remember that night a few weeks ago? When you were nearly killed?" Her face paled even more.**

**"My... My... Parents... You mean..."**

**"A Shinigami named Raven saved you that day, and died in doing so. You would've been killed, if it hadn't been for him."**

**"Wh- what happened to him...?"**

**"He died."**

**"A... A Shinigami died... To save me?"**

**"Yeah. I was there."**

**"A- are you telling me that this thing r- really wo- works?"**

**"Yeah." She felt sick.**

**"I'm... I..."**

**"You okay?"**

**"I... I... I killed someone... I w-... I..."**

**"You wrote in it?"**

**"Y- yeah... I... Oh... What... What have I... Fuck..." She started to shake violently, her eyes wide and her face pale. "Th- that... he d-died... Because... Of me... They died..."**

* * *

She started to tremble again.

"Raven?"

"Don't!"

"Rav-"

"_Don't call me Raven_!"

L stared at her, his eyes wide.

"Ray...?" She relaxed, only slightly, at hearing her name. Her real, true name.

"I... I... I-"

"Ray, what's wrong?"

"I didn't know..." The barriers she had so carefully placed during the last few years had finally broken down completely. She shook as violently as she had when she had first learned of the power she had used.

"I... I ki- killed... I... K- I... H-"

"... Ray...?"

She curled up into a ball, gnawing on her fist to keep from screaming. Tears streamed down her face as everything she had pushed away or refused to accept crashed down upon her with deadly force. Beyond, while he had been her friend before, was a murderer. She, Raven, was a murderer. Without knowing what she had done, she had killed. She had blocked the name from her memory. She had forgotten; she had given up the notebook. She had given up the memory of what she hadn't thought could actually happen. She had taken a life without even knowing that it had truly been what she had done. It tore her apart.

"Ray..."

She hadn't even noticed that he had jumped up beside her and had wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face into his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"I killed them... They're dead because of me..."

"Ray?"

"They're dead because of me..."

"Ray, what do you mean?"

"All of them... Mom, dad, Raven, I... I don't... For fucks sake, I don't even remember..."

"What happened to you?"

"Was it not obvious...? I'm having a complete mental fucking breakdown," She snarled. She realized what she was saying. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... To everyone... It's all my fault..."

"How? How is it your fault?"

"I... I... Mom and dad... They died, protecting me... Raven, he died saving me... I... I can't even fucking remember the name... I killed him... F- for fucks sake, L, I killed him..." She buried her face into his shirt once again, clutching the worn fabric like her life depended on it. He simply watched her, wondering what on earth she was talking about, as well as what to do. He didn't usually have to comfort people, and he didn't know how. He felt that his shirt was slightly damp, which was rather unsurprising, given Ray's mental state at the moment. He gently stroked her hair. Something in him twisted painfully when she flinched, as though expecting some sort of punishment instead of a harmless caress.

"What did you do, Ray?" He murmured.

"I ki-killed them... They're dead because of me..."

"What did you do?"

"I us- used the notebook. I didn't t-think it would work... I was wrong. So wrong. So fucking wrong. It does work."

"Wait... The Shinigami... Hold on, you said..." His mind started putting things together. _'Ray used the notebook, but it has, obviously, been over thirteen days. She's still alive. She forgot the notebook... Could that... I need to speak with the Shinigami.'_

"What?"

"Nothing..."

"L?"

"Yes?"

"W- what's going to h-happen to me? Am I going to prison, an institution...?"

"No." She looked up at him, her eyes puffy, red, and confused.

"L, I've killed... I can't just go free like that..."

"You are not going anywhere. You will be staying with me."

"But, L, I-"

"Raven, I know. You've told me. You didn't know. Look at yourself. You're a complete mess." He rested his chin on her head, thinking over what she had told him.

"No, L... I- I can't just-"

"You're staying with me."


	20. Chapter 20: Threat

**AN**

**Updates are going to start slowing a bit. Anyway, here's chapter 20!**

**Reviews are awesome! XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

* * *

She took in the information silently, her head reeling. _'Higuchi's dead? But... No way... That...'_

"He was killed after the notebook was brought to the helicopter..."

Her eyes narrowed. _'Who had the notebook?'_

"Light." She blinked.

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes."

"... Oh."

* * *

Raven's mind whirred with an almost audible _humm_ as she thought. _'__If Gelus gave the notebook that he gad gotten from Raven to me... Where is his notebook...? Now that Rem has explained... Raven died, saving my life. Gelus was there. He took Raven's notebook, and died saving Misa. Rem took his notebook and gave it to Misa. If I'm right, there should be another notebook somewhere! Either in the human world or the Shinigami realm!' _She unconsciously gripped the desk tightly at the thought, paling. _'If that's true... It could be here, in the human world. Then... Someone else may have it...'_

"Rem." She gestured to another room, not caring if this would look suspicious to the others. The room was unmonitored, she knew. Rem floated in behind her, watching her warily.

"What is it?"

"I've been thinking. What happened to Raven's notebook? Raven died saving me, Gelus gave me the notebook temporarily... He took it back, then you found his Death Note after he died. Where is Raven's?"

"... I'm not sure. It could be anywhere." She sighed.

"That's not really helpful."

"I know. I'm sorry."

* * *

"Raven?" She turned her attention tiredly to the worried detective.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. No. I've just been thinking a lot recently..."

"About?"

"... I didn't tell you everything."

"Oh?"

She glanced around at the Task Force before gesturing toward the elevator.

* * *

He crouched down into a chair, ready for whatever she would tell him. She sat on the bed, leaning back suddenly. She stared into the ceiling as she spoke.

"I was saved by a Shinigami on the night my parents died." His eyes widened.

"W-"

"Shh. Just let me speak."

"... Go ahead." She closed her eyes, willing her throat to open, allowing her to speak. She cleared it.

"His name was Raven. He died saving my life that day. Why, I don't know. But... There are many other Shinigami. One of them was there, and took his notebook. That Shinigami gave it to me. After realizing what I had done, I told him to take it back. He did, taking my memories as well. That Shinigami is dead now. Rem was there and she took his notebook. She dropped it to the human world. I've... I've been thinking... It may be possible that Raven's notebook, maybe even another is out there somewhere." He took in her words silently, thinking over them.

_'If this Shinigami did save her... She's hiding something from me. I can tell. But... What? This Shinigami, Raven, saved her. She may be right.' _"But... It may be in the Shinigami realm. That's what I spoke to Rem about earlier. She said she didn't know... It could either be here, in the human world, but it may be in the Shinigami realm." _'I am hiding something from you, L. It's for your own safety... If it was only me that I had to worry about, I'd tell you. But... I can't. Not yet.'_

* * *

"It appears that a new Kira has arisen," L stated blandly. Raven looked at him, disbelief clearly written in her expression.

"What do you mean...?" _'Raven... Raven's notebook. Unless... There was Ryuk's. Misa is acting as Kira again... Damn it! But, then again, it may not be. It may be someone else... I have to ask her. She knows that I know.'_

"Kira is back."

* * *

"Misa."

"Hey, Ray- Uh, Raven..." Raven's eyes widened. _'She knows my name.'_

"You idiot... You made the deal, didn't you? With Ryuk?"

"Yeah..."

"But... Your lifespan was already halved!"

"I know! I'm going to give Light his memories back."

"Misa..." She bit her tongue.

"What?"

"... If you give Light his memories back..."

"L will die!" Misa seemed ecstatic. Her happy grin faded as she saw the look on Raven's face. Anger, grief, betrayal, anguish, and worry had clearly shown on her face. She quickly wiped them away, realizing her mistake. Her expression turned cold, almost hostile.

"... Misa, just because Rem would kill me if anything happened to you, doesn't mean I won't stop you from killing L, do you understand?"

"If you try to stop us, I'll have Rem kill you! Or, better yet, I'll do it!" _'__… So, she actually said it to my face.'_

"I know. Listen to me when I say this. L will not die. Even if I do, he will not." Misa gaped at her.

"So... You're saying that you'd die for him...?"

"Yes. I would." Ryuk cackled behind Misa.

"I'd be careful if I were you. She's not kidding."

"No. I'm not," Raven replied coldly.

* * *

Raven watched, unable to do anything, as Misa touched light with the scrap of the notebook. She saw his expression change, his eyes give off a crimson appearance from where she stood. She walked up to him, her expression normal to other eyes, but threatening and dangerous to him.

"Light Yagami."

"Yes?" She nearly scowled at the falsely innocent tone in his voice.

"You will not succeed." His eyes widened slightly before narrowing again.

"Enjoy how everything is going to plan while it still is for you. I am a piece in this game worthy of being noticed. Be aware of that, as well as the fact that I am not going down easily, Kira."

* * *

"What was that?" Light was furious. She knew about them. _She knew_.

"Uh, well, there's some explaining to do-"

"Well get started!"

"Before Gelus fell in love with me, he saw the death of a Shinigami named Raven, who died saving her. He took that notebook and gave it to her. She didn't know that it was real and used it, but, when she realized what had happened, she told Gelus to take it back after he showed up. He did, but... Now that notebook is back and she remembers everything," Misa said quickly.

"You didn't tell me this, because...?"

"I wanted to wait until you could see Ryuk again! I've made the deal again!"

"You... What?" _'If I can just get her to kill Raven, nothing will stand in my way.'_

"I did! I know her name, as well as L's!"

"Misa, that means-"

"I know! But... All I want to do is be useful to you, Light!"

"... I know, Misa. You've sacrificed so much... You've halved your lifespan twice now." She hugged him tightly.

"Yeah, but I don't care about that! I can kill them now!" _'Perfect.' _He almost couldn't hold in a smirk. _'If we do this right, both of them will die.'_


	21. Chapter 21: Fade

**AN**

**(ObviouslyADeathNoteFan, of course) **

**As I said before, updates will probably start slowing down a bit, but I'll try to update quickly. Anyhow, here's chapter 21! **

**This chapter just sort of wrote itself... XD Reviews are appreciated!**

* * *

_'Today's the day. The day of...' _She knew what would happen, she had made sure that it _would_ happen. She sighed, the cup shaking as she sipped the sugary liquid.

"Raven? What's wrong?" She brushed off his concerns with a smile, shaking her head.

"Nothing. Sorry..." Thunder boomed outside as she stood, needing fresh air.

* * *

Raindrops fell, soaking her from head to toe as she closed her eyes. _'I'll die today. I guess I can't really care any less. L will live.' _Lightning flashed, almost immediately followed by a loud clash of thunder. She shivered. _'L...'_

"Raven...?" She looked over.

"L?"

"What are you doing out here?" He walked out, into the rain, joining her. She ignored his question, listening to the far-off sound. She knew what it meant. He smiled, somewhat playfully as he waved in front of her face. She smiled back, catching his hand.

"Hello?"

"I needed fresh air."

"I see. How long have you been out here for?"

"Uhh... Maybe fifteen minutes?"

"You should go inside. You'll get sick."

"Probably." She shrugged. _'Not that it matters now, anyway.'_

"You should go too. I'll go in a minute."

"What's bothering you? You never act like this."

"... It's nothing." She let go of his hand, turning to watch the rain once more. The bells seemed to grow a little louder every few minutes.

"I'm L. I can tell when someone's lying to me. What's wrong, Ray?" He saw the sadness, the acceptance, and the..._'Anger?'_ He wondered, studying her expression closely.

"What do you mean?" He didn't answer, watching her smile falter as she stared out at the rain.

"We should go back inside."

"Yeah, it's cold out here." She smiled again, taking his hand as she lead him inside.

* * *

A towel hung from her arm as she sat beside him, drying her face.

"Sorry..."

"What for?"

"... Everything."

"What do you mean?" Her hair fell in front of her eyes, hiding them from his view.

"Exactly what I said. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Ray."

"Oh, but I do. I do..."

"Everyone makes mistakes."

"That's true." He brushed the hair from her eyes.

"Neither heaven nor hell for all eternity..."

"What?"

"That's part of the rules of the Death Note. Someone who's used it can neither go to heaven nor hell for eternity. When I die, I've got nowhere to go." She stared down at the steps, clenching the towel tightly in her hands. She relaxed her hold, letting the towel fall from her hands and onto the stairs. Leaning over, she surprised L by hugging him tightly. He tensed a little, but relaxed after a second, returning it.

"Thank you," She murmured.

"For what?"

"For everything."

"You sound as if you're saying goodbye."

"I am." She let go, staring at the floor again.

"What do you mean?" Before she could answer, a phone rang. He took the phone from his pocket, holding it up to his ear. _'How is that thing even still working?'_

"Hmm. Really? Oh. Yes, I understand," He hung up, turning to Raven. "It seems everything's worked out."

* * *

Raven didn't look the Shinigami in the eyes as she entered the room. The bells, she noticed, had become much louder. Something about them reminded her of the bells at Wammy's.

"Ryuzaki! What's the meaning of this!?"

"We've gotten permission from other countries to use the notebook for an execution!?"

He sat, well, crouched, into a chair, speaking as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

"Yes." Raven ignored his speech, focusing on her heartbeats. She let out a pained yell, barely noticing that she had fallen from her chair.

She was vaguely aware that L had caught her, confusion written across his face. She watched her life unfold, as though viewing it in a third-persons perspective. She remembered everything in a flash.

Her mother comforting her after a nightmare, playing with the other children in school, her first lost tooth. Her parents murder, right before her eyes. Meeting Beyond for the first time, finding Alternate rummaging through the fridge at five o'clock in the morning. Alternate's death. Beyond giving her the necklace.

When she left the orphanage. The first time that L had contacted her. The anger, disbelief, and hurt she felt when she learned of what Beyond had done. The Kira case. Meeting the Task Force for the first time. The small smiles that L only seemed to give her, and only when no one else was around. Higuchi. Remembering what she had done. Minutes ago, standing outside on the roof as she realized that she would have nowhere to go...

Now. She was dying. The panicked faces above her went unnocited as she saw the smirk upon Light's face, only visible to her. The Shinigami was gone. Rem was robably dead, by now. Her vision began to fade as she heard someone shouting for her to just stay awake. To stay with them. They seemed to dissipate as her bright eyes began to darken and close.

"Raven!" The desperate cries of the Task Force went unheard as her eyes closed, her breathing stopped, her heart gave up its struggle.

* * *

She seemed to float, through an oddly familiar darkness. _'__This... This seems... Like... When I have a dream...' _Her muddled thoughts were the only thing separating her from complete silence, emptiness. _'I'm in... Mu. That was what the Shinigami called it. The Shinigami... She's dead now... I wonder where she is.' _She felt nothing, tasted nothing, saw nothing, heard nothing, and smelled nothing.

Until she saw a light.

A far off light, warmth. _'__What? But... I should be... There shouldn't be anything here... This is Mu. This should just be emptiness... What is that?' _It grew heard noises. _'Sound? But... What's happening? I don't understand...' _She heard crying, the sounds of someone arguing, struggling, yelling. A beep. All silenced. Another beep. Sounds of disbelief flooded through the Task Force. She was _alive_. She should have been dead. Gone... Another beep.

_'Impossible! She should be dead!'_


	22. Chapter 22: Alive

**AN**

**Thank you to guest and PonyGrim: The Insane One for reviewing! Sorry for any OOCness! I'm updating a lot faster than I thought I would. I'll probably speed up on the weekends. XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

* * *

A steady beeping filled her ears, assuring her that she was, in fact, _alive_. _'I should be dead. I don't understand... Why am I not dead? _Her thoughts muddled as she fell asleep, almost instantly. Nurses and doctors ran in and out of the room, the Task Force having been shoved outside, waiting anxiously. A tired looking doctor walked out, smiling.

"She's okay. You can go in now. She's asleep, but she should wake sometime soon." He had barely finished speaking before L had entered the room, immediately going to the sleeping girl's side. The Task Force flooded in after him, confused, worried, and one was absolutely furious.

"She's... Alive?" The doctor appeared at the door.

"Yeah. Don't ask me how, but... She's okay."

* * *

L held her hand, waiting for her to wake. The Task Force had all gone home, exhausted. She stirred, mumbling something. Her eyes gently fluttered open, staring up at the dark ceiling.

"Ray?"

She jumped, looking over quickly. Even with him holding her hand, she hadn't noticed him.

"L..."

"Are you alright?"

"I... I'm... Alive?"

"Yes..."

"But... How? I mean..."

"I don't know, honestly."

"I... I don't understand... I should be..."

"You need to rest."

"How can I rest when I know that I just survived the Death Note? I mean..."

"It'll do you no good to just worry about it. Please, Ray, just get some rest for now."

She let her head fall back onto the pillow, staring at the ceiling again.

"Oh, and, you will _not_ be returning to the investigation until you are_ fully_ recovered. Don't even think about trying to work in this condition." She frowned.

"... Fine. Don't worry, I won't pull a chief Yagami. Probably." Her frown faded as she smiled, a little weakly. But it was a smile nonetheless, and that was all that mattered to him.

"But, I do want to be updated." _'Wait... Now that the Shinigami is gone, can I tell him...? I don't want to risk it, in case I'm wrong. If she is still alive, she'll kill me. Again.'_

* * *

"Hey, Light..."

"Hey. Are you alright?"

"Surprisingly, yeah. Uh, L, do you think I could speak to him? Alone?" L looked at her uncertainly before nodding, leaving them alone. He cast a glance at Light before he left, shutting the door behind him. Light's friendly, concerned appearance disappeared immediately.

"How did you survive? Why isn't L dead?"

"Aren't even trying to hide anymore, are you?"

"Answer the question, Ray." _'Shit. He knows my name. Well, my first name, anyway.'_

"I honestly don't know. Don't bother asking me." He watched her for leaning before leaning in, his face mere inches from hers. She didn't move back, instead, narrowed her eyes at him dangerously.

"There's no use in asking me something I don't know."

"I'm absolutely _sure_ that you don't," He muttered sarcastically, leaning back.

"It's true."

"Pfft."

"You think that you're some kind of god, Light. You aren't. You're just a fucking insane, delusional, lying, manipulative, murderer who has one hell of a god-complex." He didn't respond, which unnerved her. She didn't falter.

"He'll die, you know. There's nothing you can do to save him." _'Calm down, Ray. He's trying to rile you up.'_

"If I can survive the notebook, maybe he can too. Regardless, I'm not dying until I see you in the chair."

"Tough words."

"Leave."

"Why?" She gripped the sheets unconsciously, rage building up within her.

"Does it really matter whether I'm in this condition? No. I'll still kick your ass black and blue any given day."

"Again, tough words. I thought that you believed in my innocence?"

"I knew that you had lost your memories. During that time, you were a completely different person. At least I felt horror and remorse for what I had done. I still do. You, Light, however, are a killer. You believe that what you're doing is right."

"It _is_ right. I'll be the-"

"We've all heard your catchphrase before. Get. Out." He smirked as he left, leaving the door open. After a moment, L walked in again, crouching in a chair.

"Misa was asking about you."

"Oh? What'd she want?"

"Well, she asked how you were doing. I told her that you were fine."

"Ah. So..."

"Hmm?"

"Come here." He stood, walking over to the bed without hesitation.

"Don't hate me for this, alright?" Without any other warning, she leaned forward, hugging him tightly. His eyes widened as he felt her lips brush against his, very gently. It was awkward, soft, and over before either of them could really react to it. Raven stared down at the blankets, her cheeks tinted a light pink.

"... Uhh... Sorry about that." He smiled genuinely.

"Don't apologize. There was nothing to be sorry about." She looked up.

"So... That wasn't..."

"Bad? No, not at all... Unexpected, maybe... But, not bad." She grinned.

* * *

Raven slept peacefully, for once. She had managed to convince L to sleep, or at least lay, beside her. She had drifted off after only minutes, leaving L to think. He smiled softly as she mumbled something, snuggling closer to him for warmth. His smile faded after a moment.

_'How did she survive the Death Note? Is it really possible that the Death Note simply failed, or did something intervene? Does she know what happened to her? Or why she's alive?'_His thoughts drifted slowly apart as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to sleep.

* * *

Raven awoke, a smile on her face as she moved closer to L. She felt something soft tickle her face, and opened her eyes. It was a bit of L's hair. Her smile widened and she buried her face into his shoulder, closing her eyes again. He mumbled something, turning his head.

"Oh..."

"Hey, L," she grinned, sitting up. He did the same, groggily rubbing at his eyes.

"Sleep well?"

"Actually, yes."

"You look better."

"Hmm?"

"Oh, uh, I meant, you look more rested."

"As do you. Ray, I want to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Do you know how you survived?" Her smile faded as she shook her head.

"No clue... Why?"

"It's not that I'm complaining, of course, but... It's troubling me. You're the first to survive the notebook."

"I know... It bothers me, too. I'm just..."

"Confused?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Misa gazed down at the notebooks, wondering for the thousandth time why she had done it. Why she had saved Ray.

She read over the name again, thinking of the rules of the notebooks.

_If writing the same name on more than two Death Notes is completed within .6 seconds, it is regarded as simultaneous; the Death Note will not take effect and the individual written will not die._

She was glad that Rem had given her Raven's notebook. She had managed to convince someone to write Ray's name at the exact time that Misa had specified, that person saving her life without realizing it.

_'Now, all I have to do is burn this one in case Ray ever gets to it.'_

* * *

Flames licked at the black notebook, the fire turning blue as it was reduced to ash in the fireplace.


	23. Chapter 23: Help

**AN**

**Hello fellow geeks! (of course, it is I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan :D) **

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Here's chapter 23!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

* * *

Raven groaned, leaning against the machine, wishing she had more change. She sighed, lightly hitting it with her fist in frustration.

"Raven?" She looked up, smiling at L.

"Hey."

"Tell me, what do you have against this vending machine?"

"It stole my money and didn't even give me the stupid chips."

"You shouldn't be eating junk food in this condition."

"Pfft. I'll be fine. After all, it _was_ a _supernatural _heart attack."

"True... Fine." She watched in confusion as he entered the money, pushing a button. A bag, just above the one she had been trying to get, fell on top of it, sending them both down.

"... Thanks." He shrugged, leaning down and picking up the bags. He handed her one, keeping the other for himself.

"Ohh, are you going to eat something that's _not_ sweet for once?"

"... No, actually. You can have it." She grinned as he held the bag out to her. She enjoyed moments like this. It didn't matter to her that Kira had nearly killed her, or that she was confined to the hospital until L had agreed that she had fully recovered. She was with L, and that was all that mattered at the moment. _'But... It still worries me... If Misa has the eyes, and a notebook, she could kill L at any time. Why hasn't she? Is she waiting for Light's order? Probably... He'll want to wait for the right moment, the moment he can kill us without raising suspicion on himself.' _She shook her head, opening the bag.

"Ray, are you worried?"

"Eh?" She looked up, stuffing a chip into her mouth.

"Are you worried?"

"Eh... Well, yeah. You're... Well, you. There are people, Kira included, who want you dead. Hell, he almost got me. No, he _did_. So, yes, I'm worried for you." She sighed.

* * *

"Damn Shinigami! She was supposed to kill L, along with Raven! Now, they're both still alive, thanks to _somebody_!"

"Light, I-"

"You saved her!"

"Yeah, I did!"

"Why!?"

"I- I... I... I don't know..." Light sighed.

"Hyuk hyuk hyuk! Light's not happy, is he?"

"Shut up, Ryuk," Light spat. _'Count to ten. You can still kill her. Now you know her name. Quite a clever alias, really. As for L, well... Misa can kill him at any time. All I have to do is wait for the right moment. As long as it doesn't arouse suspicion, I'll be fine. I can do it. I can kill them both.'_

"Light, I'm sorry..." _'It'll do no good to stay angry with her for long. At this point, I can't afford to lose Misa.' _He sighed, seeming to calm considerably.

"It's alright, Misa. We can kill them at any time now, as long as we don't look suspicious." _'In a way, this is good for me. I can kill Misa without Rem's threat hanging over me. Yes, if I can get Misa to tell me L's name, I'll have no more use for her. As long as she doesn't realize that L's name is the only thing really keeping her alive at this point, everything should work out.'_

"Oh, Misa, by the way, when you saved Ray, you killed the person who helped with that, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Good."

* * *

"Raven!"

"Misa..." Ray watched the girl closely as she entered the room.

"Ryu, could we have a minute?" He nodded, shuffling out after giving Misa a glance, much like the one that he had given Light.

"What are you doing here, Misa?"

"... I..."

"What? What do you want from me? To try to kill me again? Oh, or are you going to leave it up to another Shinigami?"

"Ray, I-"

"If you honestly think that I don't know that you tried to get Rem to kill me, you're truly an idiot." Misa looked down at the floor.

"It wasn't my choice..."

"How did I survive?"

"I saved you..." Ray's eyes widened.

"What...?"

"I wrote your name in two other notebooks. If that happens, the person's name who's name is written down doesn't die."

"But... Why?"

"I don't know... You're a threat..." Her eyes narrowed again.

"Yeah, I am."

"Rem's dead."

"I thought so... Why didn't she kill Ryu?"

"I don't think she had time..."

"I see... Why are you here?"

"Light is planning on trying to kill you again, as well as Ryuzaki. He's keeping me alive only because I know Ryuzaki's real name..."

"He actually said that?"

"No. I figured it out. It wasn't hard... I came to... Well..."

"What?"

"... Ask you for help." She paused.

"... I think I heard that wrong. Repeat that?"

"I came to ask you for help."_ Why would she come to me for help? I mean...'_

"Why? You could just kill Lig-"

"No!" Misa looked up suddenly.

"I'm not gonna kill Light."

"You could just kill Ryu, then. And me. Why ask me for help? Why tell me any of this!?"

"I don't wanna kill you."

"Why not!? I'm a threat to your 'perfect world'! I'm working to bring you down!"

"I know! But you're the only one who's still alive that's treated me like an actual person, not just some idiotic toy to be used!" Ray paused again. Her gaze softened as she realized that it was probably true. She thought for a long moment before standing and walking over to Misa. Misa looked up, confused. Ray stood, much taller than her, but kept eye contact with her.

"... Fine. I'll help. But under one condition."

"What?"

"No one will die." Misa nodded shakily.

"Okay... Thank you. You didn't have too..."

"I just want this whole thing to be over."


	24. Chapter 24: Plan

**AN**

**Thank you to PonyGrim: The Insane One for reviewing! Also, _holy crap I got someone to like (not hate) Misa_!? ... **

**Wow. I'm not a Misa fan either, but I have always felt at least a little bad for her. Anyway, here's chapter 24! Wow, I'm updating really quickly. I'll probably slow down soon. (I know that I've been saying that for like a week, but still. XD)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

* * *

"So, what's the plan?"

"I need a bit, Misa. I can't just pop a plan out of thin air, after all. If I could, neither of us would be here. Anyway... What does Light usually do when he's not around the Task Force, or is with you?"

"Well, mostly just uses the Death Note. Also... There's something that I haven't told you..." Ray turned at hearing this, listening closely.

"Yeah? Misa, if I'm going to help you with this, we can't afford to keep things from each other."

"I know... I'm sorry... But, you know Raven's notebook?"

"... Yeah... What about it?" Ray asked cautiously.

"I had it. That's how I saved you. It's been burned." Ray breathed a sigh of relief at hearing this.

"Phew... I was worried about that... Thank you, Misa. For my life." Misa smiled.

"Anyway, Light pretty much ignores me most of the time, unless he thinks that I can be useful somehow."

"I'm sorry..." A knock sounded at the door.

"Crud! That's Ryu. I forgot... Uh, come in!" The door opened, revealing L. He glanced at Misa again. Raven bit her lip. _'Can I tell L about this? I mean... If he knows that she's the second Kira, he'll immediately lock her up. Light will kill her if this happens. Damn it!'_

"Ray, uh, I think you can tell him."

"Misa? You absolutely sure...?"

"Yeah. I think we'll need his help if this is gonna work." Upon hearing her name, L tensed, watching them as closely as ever.

"Ryu, calm down and shut the door. I've got some explaining to do."

* * *

"So, Misa is the second Kira, Light is the first Kira, and Misa needs out help."

"Yeah. Light'll kill her when she becomes useless... He's keeping her alive because she knows your name, pretty much..." Misa watched the floor, not raising her eyes. She hadn't from the moment that Ray had begun to speak. Occasionally, she would flinch under a harsh glare from the detective, or a mistrustful glance.

"Anyway, she needs out help. I... I can't just leave her like this, Ryu. I mean..."

"I understand."

"Ryuzaki?" Misa looked up suddenly.

"Yes?"

"What's gonna happen to me after this?" L put a thumb to his lips, thinking for a moment.

"I don't know. Light will most likely either end up in prison, or be executed. The truth is, you will probably face the same." She gulped, looking back down. Raven said nothing, biting her lip.

"Misa, you should probably get back to Light. You don't want him to think that you're planning anything..."

"That's true. Okay! Thank you so much, Ray! When should I come back?"

"Sometime tomorrow should be fine. Just don't stay long enough or come often enough to arouse suspicion or seem odd."

"Okay! Bye!"

* * *

"Ray?" She lifted her head groggily, waking from her sleep, that wasn't truly sleep, more of a state of both waking and dreaming at the same time.

"Eh?"

"You're worried about Misa."

"Yeah," She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She focused on L. "I am... I mean... She's being, well, basically told that once her usefulness is gone, she'll be killed. She's only alive right now because she knows your name..."

"Yes..." He lifted his head, watching the ceiling. His pale face and wild hair caught the moonlight streaming in through the window, reminding Ray of a beautiful, sad, and ghostly figure.

"Whoa..." She murmured.

"Hmm?" He didn't look over.

"Nothing." She stood, the medical equipment trailing behind her as she walked over to him. She scowled at it, annoyed that she still had to walk around with the stupid thing constantly wheeling along behind her. Once at his side, she looked outside. She rested her head on his shoulder, watching cars move in the almost eery glow of the pale light of the full moon.

* * *

"You're being released today."

Ray's eyes widened nearly to the size of saucers when she heard this.

"Really!? Oh, sweet!"

"Yes. Watari is bringing you a spare change of clothes."

"Awesome!" L smiled at her enthusiasm to leave the hospital.

* * *

"Oh, it's so nice to be back."

"I agree. Now, I don't have to travel across the city just to see you."

"Yeah."

"Raven, it's nice to see you again." She turned, slowly.

"Hello, Light. It's nice to be back. How has Misa been doing?" She spoke coldly, calmly, like the boy hadn't tried to kill her only a little under two weeks ago.

"She's been fine."

"That's good to hear. Anyway, I'm going up to my room. Uh, Ryu, do you wanna keep talking or do you have work to do?"

"I'll go with you."

* * *

She stepped out onto her floor, immediately plopping down on the couch.

"Ray? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... I didn't wanna see Light. Not yet, at any rate."

"I see..." A phone interrupted them, making Raven jump. She quickly pulled it out, answering it.

"Misa..."

"Ray! The woman at the desk said that-"

"Oh, crap! Sorry, Misa! I forgot to tell you. I'm back at HQ."

"Oh. Okay!"

"Uhh... I'll meet you the Note Blue in, oh, an hour?"

"Sure!"

"Alright. See you."

"Bye!" The phone clicked as she pressed the button, biting her lip.

"That was Misa?"

"Yeah. I forgot to tell her that I had come back. Anyway... As I guess you heard, I'll be meeting her at the Note Blue in an hour. Wanna go?"

"Fine."

* * *

"Raven! Ryuzaki!"

Ray waved to the blonde, sitting at the table while L crouched into the chair next to hers. Apparently, Misa had noticed just how close they were to each other and squealed happily.

"Are you two-"

"_No_! I see what you're asking, and no, we are not-"

"Ohhh, you totally are! Awww! Raven and Ryu, sitting in a tree!" Ray glared at the blonde.

"Misa." She stopped, pouting.

"Fine." Ray sighed.

"Anyway, I may have an idea."

"Wait, what!? You do?"

"... Maybe. It's stupid. Very, very stupid."

"What is it?"

"We're gonna take the notebook."


	25. Chapter 25: Success

**AN**

**Hello once again, fellow geeks! So, was that a cliffhanger or not? Haha! Anyway, here's chapter 25! If anyone's noticed, I edited this chapter because I forgot that, of course, Light's notebook would be with L! Derp on my part! So this is a _lot_ shorter than it was, and it was short to begin with. Sorry! :P  
**

**Also forgot the disclaimer. Whoops!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

* * *

"You- what?" Misa stared at her, eyes wide. L stayed silent.

"You heard. My plan is to take the notebook."

"But-" Ray sighed as a waitress came by.

"I know that it's stupid, but... It's the only thing that I can come up with in such a short amount of time."

"How exactly are you thinking of doing that?"

"Well..."

* * *

"Misa, Ryu, are you ready?"

"Eh, yeah, but... Are you sure about this?"

"Well, to be honest, no. But it's the only thing that I can think of."

"We're ready when you are."

"Alright. You guys just keep Light busy." Misa nodded uncertainly. Ray smiled reassuringly, taking her hand.

"It'll be okay, alright? Just keep Light away and I'll take care of the rest. Got it?" She nodded again.

"Just be careful..."

* * *

Pausing outside of Misa's apartment, Ray listened for a moment. Satisfied that there was no one around, she stuck the key into the lock.

"Hi there!" Ray froze, turning to face whoever had spoken with wide eyes.

"Err... Oh, hi..." _'It's a kid... Nearly gave me another heart attack!' _Scoffing at herself, she smiled at the little girl. "Is there something you needed?" The girl shook her head.  
"Are you one of Misa's friends?"

"Yeah, uh, she asked me to pick something up." It wasn't a total lie.

"Oh! Tell her that Yui says hi?"

"Sure." The girl giggled, rushing off to a nearby playground and yelling a thanks to Ray. Once she had reassured herself that she was alone, she turned the lock and opened the door.

* * *

"I wonder when Ray's coming back," Misa mumbled, watching the clock. She was still a little worried about whether or not Light would show up.

"Misa, Ray's right there." Not a second later, Ray entered the room, tossing L the backpack as she collapsed onto a couch. He caught it with ease, opening it.

"Notebook's in there,"she blew a strand of auburn hair out of her face, only for it to fall into her eyes again. She grunted in annoyance, sitting up. "Ack!" Misa jumped up from her chair, immediately wrapping her arms around the older girl in a tight embrace.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Can't... Breathe..." She let go, bouncing happily in her seat.

"It's fine, Misa. Oh, Yui says hi, by the way." Misa smiled.

"Yui? Oh, yeah. Thanks," Misa laughed, sounding, for the first time in a while, really happy.

"Anyhow, that was brave, Ray," L turned to her, looking relieved at her success.

"Not really. All I did was go into Misa's apartment and take a notebook," Ray shrugged. _'Now that I've done that though, Light will almost certainly want to kill me.' _

* * *

"I can't believe she-!"

"Took the notebook? Yeah," Ryuk chuckled.

"Misa's notebook is gone... This can only be Ray. I can't... I can't do anything!"

"You could kill her without the notebook." Light paused.

"I may have to, Ryuk. If it comes down to it, I will. She has the notebooks. Both of them. I'll kill her either way. With my hands, if I have to."


	26. Chapter 26: Case Closed

**AN**

**Hello fellow geeks! It is I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! I think we're wrapping up! Epilogue will probably be up soon. Man... Wow. XD Really sorry I haven't updated! I've been really busy these last couple of days, and will probably _even more so_ for a while. _Greeaaat_. Anyway, this is super short.  
**

**NOTE: I've been messing around with the chapter names and numbers (putting the prologue and _then_ chapter one was an enormous mistake, sorry!) So... Yeah, I'm trying to fix it. I've confused myself to no end here. Sorry! IT'S FIXED NOW! YAY!  
**

* * *

Ray watched in a daze as Light was arrested, kicking and screaming curses at her. He had completely snapped. He had started losing it after it was announced that Light's fingerprints, along with Misa's, were on both of the notebooks. _'__Kira's... Really been caught...' S_he shook her head gravely as Misa came to mind, closing her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but didn't react to it.

"It's over..." L murmured. At hearing his voice, she leaned into his touch, opening her eyes.

"I guess it is. It's... Kinda hard to take in, really."

"Yes." She realized something.

"Where's the chief? Does he know?"

"Yes, he knows. He was told immediately after you got back with the notebooks."

"Oh..."

* * *

_'They're dead, now... It's...' _She shook her head. _'They were Kira... But...' _She sighed, putting the cup of hot tea down.

"I'm going outside, I'll be back soon," She waved behind her, walking to the balcony.

L joined her before too long had passed, walking to her in the moonlight. She rested her head on his shoulder, staring out at the city below her. Orange, blue, yellow, purple, and a few green lights flickered below them, though seemed dulled by the bright light of the full moon.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She murmured, breathing in the cold air with a small shiver. She leaned in closer to L, taking in his welcomed warmth.

"It is."

"Remember before I, well, had a heart attack?" She spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the comfortable silence that they had fallen into.

"Yes. Why?"

"When we were out, on the roof, and it was raining?"

"Yes..."

"I never got a chance to tell you something before Watari called you."

"Oh?"

"Now that the threat of death isn't hanging over me, I guess I should've told you sooner."

"What is it?"

"... It's gonna sound... Well..."

"Well?"

"This is gonna sound really cheesy and stupid," She smiled softly, taking in the scent of strawberries, mixing with the crisp winter air as she pulled up the will to say the words.

"What is it, Ray?"

"... I... Er... Uh... I'd... Well..."

"Yes?"

"It's gonna be too cheesy for me to say... But, you... You get it, right...?"

"... I do."

She buried her face into his shoulder, afraid of the probable rejection that she knew awaited her. He didn't answer, letting the words sink in. "I'm sorry... I'll go." She pulled away from him, disappointment and embarrassment filling her.

"Ray, wait. Stop." She turned, curious. "Don't go." She paused, waiting for a reaction, before joining his side again.

The fear of rejection still hadn't left, but it hadn't grown stronger either. She noticed that his eyes were glazed over in thought, his thumb at his lips. She smiled at the sight before looking back out at the moon. "I think I feel the same."

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she looked over quickly. He smiled at her, gesturing for her to come closer. She did, leaning against him again.

"Really?" She murmured, still not entirely sure that she had truly heard the words correctly.

"Yes, really." She looked up, grinning widely.


	27. Chapter 27: Epilogue

**AN**

**Hello, fellow geeks! It is, of course, I, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan! Holy crap, this the _epilogue _for Raven! I'm sorry for any confusion yesterday! **

**Thank you to StrangeWeirdo for reviewing! I don't think that she honestly could've brought herself to kill Light, but she didn't want to be killed by him, either. :P**

**Apparently, I hadn't screwed up as badly as I thought I had, which was a huge relief to me. Anyway, here's the epilogue! Thank you, fellow geeks, for reading this! :) It's really short, I know. Eh, I should probably mention, this is _NOT _C-Kira (Cheat Kira, as named by Near), below. :D  
**

**NOTE: CHAPTER ONE OF SEQUEL IS UP! It's called Cras, Cras, Calls the Raven. Thank you so much for reading, geeks! :)  
**

* * *

_Dark Room, Unknown Location_

_Two Years After Kira Case_

Two dark figures sat in an empty room, gazing at laptop screens. Tap-tap-tappitty noises rose from the keyboards, the only noise, other than the light breathing of the two, disrupting the silence. One paused, glancing over at the other, then down at the time.

She sighed quietly as a door opened, revealing someone that the two in the room knew well. Ray greeted him, thanking him for bringing her a cup of coffee. The two well known detectives resumed their work.

"It's no trouble." Watari set a cup down next to L, who mumbled a thanks. After he had left, Ray stood, closing her laptop, and stretched.

"What are you working on?" She asked softly, stifling a yawn as she walked over to him.

"I think I've found something."

"Oh?"

"... Kira is back." She stopped cold in her tracks.

"What do you mean, Lawliet?" She asked slowly. He turned the laptop, showing her a list of criminals who had been killed. Her eyes widened.

"They've started killing only within the last few hours. All heart attacks. The number of criminals who have already been killed is somewhere around... Oh, two-hundred, and the death toll is still rising steadily. This Kira seems to have the same sort of -"

"Whoa, whoa, Lawliet. Hold on a minute. Are you totally sure that this is, in fact, a Death Note?"

"Yes. This Kira has already succeeded in sending me a message, using the same method as the first."

"What's it say?" L clicked on something, revealing a scan of a note, very like the first message, which had been sent by the first Kira.

_Likely, the sound of the_

_Raven's call will mean my end. I hear it tapping on the window each night, as though warning me._

_Death is awaiting me, I know it. I'm afraid._

Ray's eyes widened further at the message. _'L, Raven's Death...'_

"It's incomplete, obviously. I- oh." Another image popped up, finishing the message, written by another criminal before their death. Her eyes scanned over it, taking in the words.

_Will I see tomorrow? Kira will get me, I'm sure, but..._

_Be careful, anyone who may read this. I'm a goner, most likely, but if this is really the work of another Kira, many more will follow._

_Sudden was the death of the man in the cell next to mine. Probably not long for me, now..._

"L, Raven's death will be sudden..." She murmured. L said nothing, staring at the screen as if it insulted him. She stood, walking toward the window and looking out at the city. "You think that I may die, don't you?"

"... I don't know..." L answered honestly. She paused. Her eyes hardened, showing determination.

"Well, Kira. Bring it on."


End file.
